Broken
by cellochick373
Summary: After a run in with someone from her past, Brooke is completely broken. Who will pick up the pieces and fix her? BREYTON-- Includes Mia as well --Sort of AU S.5, may overlap with S.6--
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Ok, so this is my first attempt at Breyton, it starts out slow but please bear with me! Let me know what you think!

Basic Story: Brooke and Peyton are back in Tree Hill, but they aren't living together. Peyton still has her recording label, I'm undecided about how far Brooke went with her fashion line. Mia is still working with Peyton but Jason was actually physically abusive in this storyline.

WARNING-- Accounts of abuse, language(minor) and some femslash--dont like, dont read!

* * *

Haley walked into the studio, heaving a sigh at the thought of having to work with Jason again. _That asshole...he's so infuriatingly cocky and really just all-around stupid _she thought to herself, grimacing. Suddenly she heard the sound of a piano being played tentatively.

Moving quietly into the room, she saw the band's keyboardist sitting at the piano. Her hood was off, and her eyes were closed. The piano gained strength as she went on, and she began singing.

_"Kindly unspoken  
You show your emotion  
And silence speaks louder than words  
It's lucky I'm clever  
Cause if I didn't know better  
I'd believe only that which I've heard."_

The sheer beauty and purity of the lyrics and piano nearly brought tears to Haley's eyes as she listened. Unable to contain herself she blurted out, "Wow, Mia, that's really great!"

Mia jumped, looking up at Haley. "Did you write it?" Clearly uncomfortable, Mia shook her head, hoping Haley would let it drop. When she continued to look at her expectantly, Mia sighed and quickly said, "Uh, it doesn't matter. Jason writes all our songs."

When Haley continued to look at her, she got up and left abruptly, trying to avoid any further conversation with Haley. 

_Jason doesn't like her. He's going to be mad if he finds out I was talking to her, and that she heard me playing... _she thought.

Scared at the thought, she walked a little faster away from Haley, unaware of the confused and concerned look that had appeared on the brunette's face.

Haley watched the younger girl leave in confusion._ Did I do something wrong?_ She wondered, not sure what had brought about the abrupt departure. Looking after Mia, she decided to go talk to Peyton about it to see if she knew anything more.

Peyton looked at Haley in surprise. "Who?" she asked. "Mia," Haley replied with exasperation, "You know, the keyboardist?" "Ohhh, ok..." Peyton replied, though it was clear she was still a little lost.

"You said there was something special about this band, and you were right. She's the spark- the one who gives the band its talent and life. Peyton, she's being crushed by that ass of a singer!"

The blonde shook her immaculately curled hair and said, "Fine. I'll talk to her separately. Go ahead and call her in." Nodding, Haley pushed the 'talk' button on the controls

"Hey, Mia? Can we see you in here?" Her hood was back up and she refused to make eye contact with Haley as she nodded. As she walked past Jason to go into the office, he grabbed her arm roughly. Haley had turned away, so Peyton was the only one to see Mia's face go white as a sheet and her teeth clamp down on her lip as though to prevent a cry from escaping.

Jason whispered into her ear, and her eyes grew wide and, though moments before Peyton would have said it was impossible for her to be paler, she turned an even ghostlier shade of white. She nodded hurriedly, trying to pull away, but Jason pulled her in for a forced kiss. When he finally released her, she quickly crossed her arms, hugging herself, as she walked swiftly towards the office doors.

By this point, Haley had turned around again and was watching both Mia and Peyton. "Hey, Peyton.. What's up?" she asked, trying to figure out what she missed.

"It's nothing...just, why don't you stay here and keep an eye on everything while Mia and I go into the back office, where it's more private."

"Sure," Haley said, confused once more by the unexpected turn of events.

As Mia entered the room, Peyton said, "Hey, Mia, we're going to go into the back office, I have something I want to show you," making a point of leaving the intercom on so Jason would hear. Maybe then she wouldn't have to deal with his crap later. Mia nodded, following her back.

Once they were seated, Peyton closed the door firmly behind them. Turning to Mia, she noted how she was still keeping her arms crossed across her chest, making a point of not looking directly at her.

"Hey," she said softly, not wanting to spook the poor girl. "Hey," Mia responded quietly. "So...you want to tell me what's up?" Peyton asked. Mia glanced at her before quickly looking down. She shook her head, not responding in any other way.

"C'mon, it's ok. I don't bite, I promise."

Without thinking, Peyton reached out to touch Mia's shoulder lightly. Mia lurched away from the contact, a flash of panic evident on her face before it was quickly buried. "Sorry...I get a little...jumpy." Mia mumbled. Peyton was now sure that something was not right, but she didn't know quite how to voice it.

Her reaction reminded her of someone...she couldn't quite place it...and then she got it. Brooke. The way Mia was acting was pretty much identical to how Brooke had acted after a run-in with her father.

_Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here...making comparisons where there's no call for them. _ Her thoughts muddled, Peyton tried to think of what to do. If it was Brooke, she would confront her about it, but the hunched girl in front of her was definitely not Brooke. Not wanting to scare her away completely, Peyton decided to not press the matter just yet, opting instead to ask her about the music.

Mia remained quiet, but when Peyton asked her if she would be open to possibly going solo since Haley wanted to cut Jason, she looked up quickly before looking away again.

"I don't think I could," she started slowly, "I don't have anywhere to stay, and I've never tried to do anything solo before. I don't want to disappoint you, I mean, you wanted Jason first."

Thinking for a second, Peyton came up with a solution that would also offer her a chance to try and get to know Mia better.

"Ok, well, you can come stay with me for a while and think it over away from Jason and the rest of the band. And trust me, I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I didn't believe completely that you could be amazing on your own." Mia hesitated, weighing the options in her mind, but finally agreed to do it.

"Alright. I think that since it's like almost four, we can call it a day for practice and head home!" Peyton said, not wanting to deal with Jason any more and have him scare Mia away. She went and opened the door a little, coughing to get Haley's attention. "Hey Hales, can you tell the rest of them that practice is over for the day? I'm heading out, but I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

Haley searched Peyton's face for any clues as to what was going on, but Peyton shook her head slightly. Sighing, Haley knew she would have to wait to find out what was going on. "Ok, I'll let them know," she said, and Peyton flashed her a quick smile before going back into the office.

Mia was still sitting on the couch, watching Peyton. "Ready to go?" Peyton asked. Mia looked confused. "Isn't the door that way?" she asked, gesturing towards where Peyton had just been standing. "Not the one we're going through," Peyton grinned, going over to the opposite wall.

"Fire escape," Mia said, catching on with a small smile. "Nice. I'm glad a record executive like yourself has such sophisticated tastes." Peyton smiled at the sarcasm in Mia's voice. Already, the girl seemed to be opening up and relaxing a little now that she didn't have Jason hanging over her.

As Peyton was opening the door, her phone beeped and she looked down. **One new message from B. Davis. ** Brooke wanted to know if she could come over that night, and it occurred to her that Brooke could possibly help her with Mia. If Peyton was in any way right about Mia, Brooke might be able to relate to Mia and help her in a way that Peyton couldn't. Plus, if Brooke was asking to come over, there was no way that Peyton was going to say no to her friend. Brooke wouldn't ask if she could come over unless she had a good reason, otherwise she would just show up.

Peyton texted Brooke back to say it was fine, turning to show Mia her car. Mia's eyes widened appreciatively at the sight of the car, and Peyton grinned. "It's kinda like my baby."

The drive to Peyton's house was quick and relatively quite. Hopping out, Peyton began digging through her purse for her keys. Finding them after a bit of a search, she opened the door and gestured Mia inside.

Closing the door firmly behind her, Peyton turned. "Your room will be just down the hall. There should be blankets and everything, but if you get cold there are extras in here," she said, motioning to a closet. Mia nodded, and Peyton decided that now would be a good time to tell her that Brooke was coming. "By the way, just a heads-up, but a friend of mine is coming over...and there's an excellent chance she's going to end up sleeping here."

The last part was murmured under her breath, but Mia still caught it, as well as the look of worry that flitted across her features. Pretending she hadn't noticed, Mia just nodded again. "Ok, sounds fine."

Peyton glanced at the clock. _Almost six...Brooke shouldn't be here till around eight. _ "You hungry?" Peyton asked, thinking dinner might be a good idea. Mia's eyes brightened at the thought of food, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Ok, what sounds good? I don't know how much we have to work with...is there anything in particular you like or hate?" Mia cocked her head to the side. "Uhhh no, I'm definitely like the world's least-picky eater. If it's even remotely edible, I'm there." Peyton couldn't help a small laugh at her proclamation. "Ok then, Chinese it is."

* * *

Peyton had spent most of dinner just talking to Mia, getting to know her better. Despite her younger age, Peyton felt completely comfortable around her, and it was effortless to talk to her. A little after eight, Brooke came bouncing through the door.

Mia startled a bit, and Peyton could tell Brooke noticed, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she ran over to Peyton and gave her a hug. "Thanks for letting me come," she whispered in her ear, and Peyton squeezed her tighter. "We'll talk later." Nodding, Brooke turned to the girl next to Peyton and went over.

"I'm Brooke," she said, offering a smile but deciding against a handshake. The girl still looked a little spooked, and she reminded Brooke of how she used to look almost all the time. Mia couldn't help but smile a little at the new girl. "Mia," she said, standing to clear her plate.

_Thank goodness she didn't just reach out a hand for a handshake...that would have been fun to explain when I fell out of my chair._

"Ooh, you went to Shiro's!" Brooke squealed as she saw the boxes of food. Helping herself, she sighed. "Best. Thing. Ever." Peyton grinned at her comment. "So, want to watch a movie?" Brooke asked, making herself a plate. Peyton nodded, and Brooke looked up at Mia. "Want to join us?"

When Mia looked hesitant, Brooke continued, saying, "It's safe, I promise. No sappy chick flicks or anything like that." Mia smiled and nodded. She couldn't really say no to the bubbly brunette in front of her.

Turning, Brooke looked like she about to grab for Mia's hand, but she stopped, instead offering her hand up to Mia so that it was her decision to take it. Mia did, glad that Brooke hadn't just grabbed her. Somehow, she seemed to know what to say and do without setting off any reflexes.

After a too-long movie that was really pretty pointless, Peyton clicked the tv off. Brooke had ended up snuggled practically on top of her and Peyton was loathe to move. Finally she stood with a sigh, gently removing brookes body from hers. Brooke grumbled a bit, but also stood.

"Ok, time for bed. Mia, you know where your room is, the bathroom is down the hall. I hope you really think about what I said earlier. Come find me if you need anything." Mia nodded and headed for her room.

"And as for you," Peyton continued, eying Brooke, who batted her eyelashes innocently.

"Yes?"

"You're coming with me and telling me what's going on." Peyton concluded, and she knew her guess about something being wrong was not off base from the look on Brooke's face. Brooke sighed, following Peyton down past Mia's room to where Peyton slept.

Sitting on the bed, she leafed through the sketch pads lying around on the bedspread. "So," Peyton started, "How's life?" Brooke didn't look at Peyton and answered, "Peachy."

Scoffing Peyton said, "Ok, stupid question, I know, but please. What's wrong?"

Brooke averted her eyes, looking back down at the sketches as Peyton spoke. Taking Brooke's hand Peyton ran gentle circles on it with her thumb. "Please, Brooke, it's just me."

Still not making eye contact, Brooke softly said, "It's nothing really...I just..I ran into him today."

Peyton's eyes widened. There was only one person she could mean by that. Moving on the bed until she was wrapped around Brooke, Peyton squeezed the smaller girl to her tightly. "What happened? Are you ok? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Brooke smiled at Peyton's concern, and leaned into her embrace for a minute, just enjoying the contact. "Physically, yeah, I'm fine. He said some stuff, but I think it's nothing to worry about. It just...brought back some memories I would really rather not think about."

Hugging Brooke as hard as she could, Peyton said, "He can't get to you anymore. I still can't believe they let him go early for good behavior." Frustrated, she heaved a sigh. "You're safe with me, Brooke. You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?" Brooke nodded, pulling away just a bit. "Thanks, Peyton," she said softly, standing.

Peyton hung onto her hand, not wanting to let her go, and Brooke almost broke down and stayed. Her body groaned and every fiber in her being told her to go back to the safety that Peyton's arms guaranteed, but she willed herself away. Brightening her tone, she said, "Ok, well, enough seriousness, I'm going to go get ready for bed!"

"You mean I have to sleep alone?" Peyton pretended to pout, but she was actually a little surprised. They always slept together when Brooke stayed over. "Nah, I'm going solo tonight, apparently I've become prone to unintentionally smacking people in my sleep, and we can't mar that pretty face of yours, now can we?"

Peyton just looked at Brooke, trying to figure out the real reason. Brooke broke eye contact first, heading out of the room with a cheery wave. Peyton shook her head. She needed to clear her head and try to make sense of everything that was happening, so she decided to go for a walk once Brooke and Mia were asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile Mia was laying on her bed, completely unaware of the exchange that had just taken place. Closing her eyes to try and get some sleep, she immediately regretted it. The second they closed, she remembered Jason. She had felt so welcome and safe here that she had forgotten about Jason even existing, let alone controlling her life.

Being like any other teenager had been intoxicating, and the freedom had been one of the best experiences in recent memory, but she knew it was a temporary illusion. Mia tried to slow her breathing and calm down again, but she was suddenly terrified of him finding her.

She wanted so desperately to go solo, to do what Peyton wanted her to do, but she didn't know if she could escape Jason. Burrowing under the covers, Mia groaned and tried to stop thinking already so she could sleep. She would work things out in the morning.

* * *

Mia was awakened less than an hour later by the sound of someone moving restlessly around, and she moaned and sat upright in bed. Suddenly there was the sound of a piercing scream, and then silence. It sounded like it had come from the living room where Brooke was sleeping, and she flew out of bed to see what was wrong.

Steeling herself for what she might find she was still unprepared for the sight of Brooke on the floor, shivering and shaking. Mia rushed to her, not sure what to do. "Peyton!" she called, frantically looking for the blonde. Getting no answer, Mia went to Brooke's side, reaching out an arm to her.

To her immense surprise, Brooke flinched away from her hand, pulling into herself even more. _What's going on?_ Mia couldn't believe that the girl cowering in front of her was the same bubbly person she had befriended only hours prior. Knowing she had to do something since Peyton obviously wasn't coming, Mia slowly and gently wrapped an arm around Brooke and pulled her close.

"Shhhh, it was only a dream, it's ok, you're safe." Brooke was trying to breathe through her tears, and she buried her face in Mia's chest. She didn't even seem to register that it was Mia, she only knew that someone had come to save her. Mia stroked Brooke's hair, trying to think of something, anything, that would calm her.

The only thing that came to mind was to sing, so that was what she did. Brooke gradually stilled as she listened to Mia's voice. Finally, after a few long minutes, she shuddered one last time. "It's beautiful," she whispered hoarsely without pulling away from the younger girl.

Mia stopped singing, surprised that Brooke was talking. "Thanks," she replied softly, "Are you ok?" Brooke pulled away from her a little at the question, and Mia instantly regretted it. "No, never mind, it's ok, just...come here," Mia tried to amend her statement, pulling Brooke back to her.

"I'm fine, Mia, really, it was just a bad dream."

Mia knew that wasn't true, but she didn't push. She sighed, rubbing Brooke's back. _Where the hell is Peyton? I'm going to kill her...but I wonder if she knows about this? _

As if reading Mia's thoughts, Brooke suddenly said, "Don't tell Peyton, ok? I don't want her to worry, she has enough going on as it is, she doesn't need me on top of everything else."

Mia opened her mouth and then closed it, finally settling for nodding her head. Brooke stood, turning to gently tug Mia to her feet as well. "I'm really sorry for waking you up," she said, "You can go back to bed now if you want." Mia stared at Brooke. 

_Where did that come from? She just like completely shut me out. _

Thinking that maybe it was what Brooke needed, Mia went to leave. Glancing back at Brooke, she changed her mind before she could get very far. Going back to the couch, she sat next to Brooke. "No. I'm not leaving you alone." Brooke looked at her long and hard, trying to figure out what Mia was thinking. Brooke gave up on trying to read Mia after a few moments but still hesitated.

"Come on, you're sleeping with me." Brooke just watched Mia.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Mia..." she trailed off. She really didn't want to be alone, but she didn't want to push herself on Mia either. Mia shook her head.

"Nope, you're coming with me." Without giving Brooke time to respond, Mia grabbed her hands and dragged her down to her room. Too tired to argue any more, Brooke got into the bed without further protest, but she couldn't stop her muscles from tightening when Mia got in next to her.

Mia felt it, and moved closer to Brooke under the covers. "It's ok, Brooke," she whispered, resting an arm across Brooke's shoulder. Gradually, Brooke felt herself relax and melt into Mia's body. She felt safe with this girl, something that she normally could only imagine with anyone besides Peyton. Turning in Mia's arms so that she was facing her, Brooke whispered, "Thank you, Mia," causing Mia to open her eyes and look at Brooke.

"For what?" Mia asked, puzzled as to what Brooke meant.

"For not leaving, for being here, for trying to help. And I really am sorry that you had to be here to see that."

Mia exhaled slowly. "What would you have done if I hadn't been here?" Now it was Brooke's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean if I hadn't been here and Peyton was out, and you were all alone." Brooke got quiet as she realized what Mia was trying to say. Finally she said softly, "I don't really know. I never really remember much in the morning when nobody else is there."

Mia's mind caught the slip of the tongue, but she pretended not to notice. "Well, don't be sorry I was here then. I'm glad I was able to help, even a little, and I'm here if you ever need to talk, ok?" Brooke nodded before sighing and closing her eyes.

"Go to sleep, Brooke, it's ok. I'm here." Once she was sure that Brooke was asleep, Mia allowed herself to think about everything that had just happened. She was still massively confused about what Brooke had been dreaming about in the first place, but she knew with a certainty that it wasn't good. Mia's mind returned to Brooke's earlier words.

_ I never really remember much in the morning when nobody else is there._ The implications weren't lost on Mia, but she still didn't know exactly what to think. _That means this must happen pretty often...but what caused it in the first place? And why can't I tell Peyton, I'm sure she would only want to help Brooke. Maybe she knows what happened... _

Eventually, Mia fell asleep, but she woke to Brooke moving restlessly again an hour later. Trying to prevent a repeat of earlier, Mia stroked Brooke's hair and sang softly to her, since that had seemed to work before, but with no luck. Brooke grew more and more distressed, and Mia sat helplessly, trying to soothe her.

Finally Brooke bolted upright again in a near-exact repeat of earlier, but this time Mia couldn't calm her even the tiniest bit.

Peyton came through the doorway only a second later and immediately went into panic mode when she saw the empty couch and the blankets on the floor.

"Brooke?" She yelled, looking around desperately.

Going to Mia's bedroom, she saw Brooke sitting up, shivering on the bed with Mia holding her. Instantly, Peyton put two and two together and realized what had happened, and why Brooke hadnt wanted to sleep with her. Mia looked at her with a slightly panicked expression as Brooke continued to refuse to respond.

By this point, Brooke was a shaking mess of tears and sobs on the bed. Instantly Peyton was there, cradling Brooke's prone form in her arms. "Brooke, sweetie, I'm here, I'm here, nobody's going to hurt you."

"He was there, Pey, and it was like it was happening all over again, nobody saved me, and..." Brooke collapsed into sobs once more before she could finish the sentence.

"Honey, he's gone, he's not here, he won't hurt you again," Peyton whispered, trying to think of a way to calm Brooke down. When Brooke didn't say anything else, Peyton just squeezed her more tightly and pulled her so that she was on her lap all the way. Despite Peyton's best efforts, Brooke couldn't seem to control or stop the tears that kept coming.

The seconds turned into long minutes, until finally Brooke lay in Peyton's arms, utterly exhausted. As her eyes fluttered closed, Peyton leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You're safe with me, Brooke. I won't let anything happen to you ever again." Brooke murmured something incoherent before allowing her body to succumb to sleep. Peyton just held her, stroking her hair for a few minutes, until she was certain that Brooke was asleep.

"Mia?" Her voice was quiet, but Mia clearly heard the barely contained pain in it. "Yeah, Peyton?" Without stilling the fingers she was running soothingly through Brooke's hair, Peyton asked softly, "What happened while I was gone?"

Mia struggled for a minute to articulate what had gone on, but once she started talking, it was like a dam had broken. Finishing where Peyton had come in, she looked up at Peyton and saw tears streaming down her face.

Deciding to just ask, Mia questioned softly, "Peyton, what happened? What was she dreaming about?" Inhaling and then exhaling slowly, Peyton tried to think of how to explain it to Mia. Finally, all she could get out was, "Her dad..." And the amount of pain, and the flinching, and the screaming, suddenly it all made sense to Mia and she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Looking to Peyton once more for confirmation of some sort, she was met by eyes that told Mia everything she needed to know. "He found her earlier today..." Peyton whispered, "and he said something, she wouldn't tell me what, and I just don't know how to help fix this."

At those words, Peyton felt a tightening on the grip that Brooke had on her, but Brooke didn't acknowledge the fact that she was awake again in any other way. Looking down, Peyton gently shifted so that her body was flush against the length of Brooke's. Gripping her more tightly to her, she looked at Mia, who nodded and said, "I'm going to take the couch, ok? Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

The second the door closed Peyton felt Brooke burrow into her body as more tears fell from her eyes. Rubbing small circles on Brooke's back, Peyton slowly worked her way onto Brooke's stomach, where she knew several long ropey scars stretched from top to bottom, side to side.

Brooke tensed a bit, but Peyton shifted downward the tiniest of margins and began placing soft butterfly kisses along the path the scars traced. Brooke shivered at the feeling, not wanting Peyton to ever stop. She knew it was probably wrong for her to need Peyton this much, but Peyton was the only one who had ever known how to fix her.

When Peyton pulled back a bit, Brooke bit back the moan of disappointment at the loss of contact. Suddenly Peyton's face was right in front of hers, worried and full of love and tenderness.

"I...Brooke.." Peyton tried to find the right words. "I don't know how to do this, Brooke. I'm scared I'm not enough, that I can never be enough for you. What if I can't fix this, and you being broken is my fault?" The words cut through Brooke as cleanly as a knife, and she moved to cup Peyton's face in her hand.

"Peyton..." Peyton shook her head and refused to look Brooke in the eye. Not knowing what else to do to get her message across, at a loss for words, Brooke slowly pressed her lips softly against Peyton's in the sweetest of kisses.

After a moment she pulled away and found Peyton with her eyes closed. "You can fix me without even trying, Pey, and it kills me to hear you say that you aren't enough for me. You're all I need to be better."

Peyton's eyes opened slowly, and Brooke was relieved to see only her love and hope reflected in them. "Are you sure?" Peyton whispered. Brooke only nodded, but it was all the response Peyton needed to lean forward and brush her lips against the brunette's.

Brooke leaned into the kiss, this time not quelling a quiet moan as Peyton deepened the kiss. When Peyton finally broke away she smiled and burrowed down next to her again. "See, Pey? You make everything bad go away."

Pulling Brooke's lithe body closer, Peyton smiled but softly said, "We still have to talk tomorrow." Brooke nodded her compliance before whispering, "I love you, P. Sawyer."

"I love you too, Brooke."

* * *

Alrighty... so this turned out quite differently then i was originally planning, but what the hey- it'll work(maybe;)) I realize that the Breyton is pretty undefined and haphazard at best, it WILL get better, promise! And no, I haven't forgotten Mia's storyline completely, it's just kinda been put on the back-burner for now:P

Review and please let me know if it is worth continuing, cuz im a little iffy.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, sorry this took a bit longer than intended!

* * *

The morning rose bright and clear, shining bright light through the windows and onto sleeping bodies. In the living room, Mia stretched and sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. _What time is it?_ The night's events came rushing back immediately after that first thought, and she cringed, knowing that the day ahead was going to be rough.

* * *

In the bedroom down the hall, Brooke slowly rose. Her body was sore from the previous night and she groaned softly as she stood and stretched.

Heading for the door, she paused to look back at Peyton's sleeping form. A small smile touched her lips at the sight, and she felt her heart constrict painfully.

_Too bad she'll never really be mine. _

With a sigh, she went out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Padding down the hall she saw Mia sitting up and stretching as well. Brooke knew she had a lot of explaining to do, and she felt bad for dragging Mia into everything, but at the same time she was really grateful that the girl had been there.

Mia turned as Brooke approached and Brooke instantly saw the concern in her eyes. "Hey," Mia said, "How are you?" Brooke smiled a little ruefully and replied, "Better now, I think. Thanks to you."

Mia blushed and shook her head. "More Peyton than anything, but you're welcome anyways." Taking a seat next to the teen, Brooke leaned back and tried to get comfortable. Mia looked at her hesitantly and finally worked up the courage to ask what was on her mind. "Brooke? How did you get away?"

Closing her eyes, Brooke thought about the question, knowing what Mia was asking. Finally she moved her head side to side. "I didn't, really. All that happened was that he finally went just far enough that I ended up in a coma for a week and he was careless enough to get caught."

Mia drew in her breath sharply at Brooke's confession. "But...then.." Brooke opened her eyes again and looked at Mia.

"It was four years ago. He got out early for good behavior." Mia instinctively drew closer to Brooke, wanting to comfort her but unsure how. Brooke kept on looking at Mia, as though sizing her up.

"What?" Mia finally asked. Taking Mia's hand in hers, Brooke gently asked, "What's his name?" The second the words were out of her mouth Brooke saw the panic flare on Mia's face, but then Mia seemed to get control of it.

"Jason," she finally said, "His name is Jason." Brooke nodded, not prying any further, and just put her arms around Mia and drew her close. "It's going to be ok now, Mia, I promise. You're never going back to him, ok?"

Mia nodded into Brooke's shoulder, unable to believe that she had actually just said that. Thinking maybe she should try to dumb it down since it was nowhere near as bad as what she knew Brooke must have suffered through, she started to say, "It's not really that bad..." but Brooke placed a finger on her lips, effectively stilling her words.

"It _is _that bad, Mia, you don't deserve any of it, and don't let me ever hear you say or think otherwise." Mia nodded again and Brooke hugged her before pulling away.

"Ok. It's decided. You're staying with Peyton until I say otherwise; I don't think Peyton's going to take issue with this, so you better start thinking about what to pack! I'll go with you later to pick everything up."

She stood and started to say something else but was cut off by Peyton skidding into her as she ran down the hallway.

"Brooke!"

Brooke caught her as she fell, but it knocked her off balance too and they both went down onto the couch. Brooke started to get up after she caught her breath, but she found herself held firmly in place by Peyton's arms and body weight.

"Nuh-uh, you aren't going anywhere," Peyton said, adjusting her position.

"But Peyton..." Brooke whined, but she couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"No. Did you stop to consider I might be worried when I woke up and you were gone?!" Looking away sheepishly Brooke shook her head no. "Ok then, no whining."

Brooke tried to playfully shove Peyton's body off of hers, but truth be told she kind of liked the feel of Peyton's weight pressing down on her. Forcing the thought out of her head, she tried to flip Peyton off the couch but only succeeded in getting more entangled.

Peyton grinned down at her, but just then Mia shifted and Peyton looked up, surprised to find they had company. A bit reluctantly she sat up, tugging Brooke with her so that she never lost contact with her.

Mia watched them, unable to hide her smile at their antics. Brooke rested her head on Peyton's shoulder as Peyton wrapped an arm around her and said, "I'm going with Mia to pick her stuff up later today."

Without missing a beat Peyton nodded, saying, "I'll make sure that her room gets cleaned up." She squeezed Brooke's hand, letting her know that it was ok, and she felt Brooke instantly relax into her even further.

Looking back to Mia, Peyton said, "Is that all right with you? I know this place isn't exactly rock-star central." Mia quickly shook her head.

"No, it's fantastic. Thank you," she said, still a little in shock at how quickly things were moving. Moving to the couch, she hugged Peyton and headed over to Brooke.

Pausing a moment she waited for Brooke to give her some signal that it was ok, and when Brooke looked up at her and smiled she leant in and hugged her too. "Thank you," she whispered in her ear, not really caring if Peyton heard. Brooke gave her a last quick squeeze and let her go.

When Mia started walking away Brooke asked, "Where are you going?" Mia called over her shoulder, "Just to take a shower before we go."

When she heard the bathroom door close and the water start running, Peyton sighed and leaned back against the cushions. "What did you tell her?"

Brooke quietly said, "What she asked- how I got away." Brooke curled on her side so that her head was in Peyton's lap. Peyton stroked her hair gently, waiting for her to speak again. "She deserved to know after last night, Pey."

After a second of silence passed Peyton asked, "And what did she tell you?"

"Jason." The one word made Peyton's stomach tighten in anger and Brooke felt her tense. Placing a hand on Peyton's thigh she rubbed it back and forth soothingly. "It's ok; I'm personally going to make sure that she's never hurt again. And if, later on, she decides she wants to press charges or something, I'll be right there with her."

Peyton relaxed again, marveling at Brooke. No matter what she went through, she somehow still managed to keep a compassionate outlook on life and always thought of other people first.

At that moment Peyton wanted nothing more than to hold Brooke close, kiss her, and never let her go. Sighing, she silently berated herself. Brooke had never said anything in the mornings after they had been together, and she knew it was probably going to stay that way.

The intimacy of the previous night always seemed to fade, and Peyton had long ago resigned herself to only being able to kiss Brooke and hold her like she wanted during those times. Much as she wanted it to always be that way, she hated the times when Brooke was that broken. She still vividly remembered the first time she had found Brooke atfer her father had gotten ahold of her…

* * *

_It was the middle of the night and Peyton found herself awakened by her phone ringing. Groaning, she flipped it open and mumbled, "Hello?" She was greeted by only silence for a moment, and then the sound of quiet sobs. "Hello?" She asked again, suddenly concerned. _

"_Peyton…" someone whispered between sobs, and Peyton instantly recognized Brooke's voice. Beginning to panic now, Peyton asked, "Brooke, what's wrong?" When she didn't get an answer, she tried again. _

"_Brooke, honey, where are you? What's going on?" Finally Brooke managed to say, "I'm at the Rivercourt," before her body was wracked by another sob. "I'm on my way, Brooke, just stay on the phone," Peyton said, already running out the door. _

_The drive to the Rivercourt was a blur for Peyton, she could only remember getting out of the car and running towards the shape hunched on a bench. "Brooke?!" _

_Her voice came out higher pitched than normal, and she tried to run all the faster when the figure didn't move. Reaching the bench she slowed and said, more quietly, "Brooke?" _

_The figure seemed to startle but she only buried her face deeper in her arms. Peyton stood there, confused. Finally making up her mind she reached out and gently touched Brooke's arm. To her horror the figure flew back from her touch and to the opposite end of the bench. _

_The motion exposed the girl to be Brooke, but Peyton suddenly wished with all her being that it wasn't her. There were large bruises forming on Brooke's face, and Peyton could see the bruises running up her arms until the sleeves on Brooke's shirt hid them. _

"_Oh my god, Brooke, who…" Peyton couldn't finish the question, she couldn't do anything but gape at Brooke. New tears formed in Brooke's eyes at the sight of her friend's reaction. Shame and pain were written all over her face. _

"_I'm sorry, Peyton, I shouldn't have called you, I just…you can leave if you want to, I understand." Suddenly she found herself engulfed in Peyton's arms. _

"_No, Brooke, no, no, no, don't ever think I would leave you. I'm here, ok, whoever did this isn't going to hurt you ever again." Peyton had felt Brooke's muscles tighten the second she came in contact with the smaller girl's body, but as she spoke she could feel them start to loosen again._

_Brooke felt another wave of sobs coming on at Peyton's understanding. _"_God, Peyton, I'm so sorry, I tried to stop him, I tried, but he was too much bigger, and I couldn't—I couldn't--" Brooke's words were interrupted by more sobs, and Peyton cradled her in her arms, tears running down her own face. _

"_Shhh, Brooke, it's ok, it's going to be ok," she whispered over and over, as though saying the words would make them come true. When the sobs subsided, Peyton gently brushed Brooke's hair out of her face. "Can you walk, Brooke? You're staying with me, and you'll be more comfortable in a bed than on a bench." _

_Brooke shakily nodded, but when she tried to stand, she gasped in pain and her legs buckled. Peyton barely caught her and kept her upright. Concerned only with getting Brooke out of the cold and cleaned up, Peyton practically carried her to the car, where Brooke fairly collapsed onto the seat. _

_Running to the driver's side, Peyton got in and drove as quickly as she could back to her house. Thanking every holy deity she could think of that her dad wasn't home, she helped Brooke up the stairs and to the bathroom. Brooke instantly sat down on the floor as Peyton flicked on the light. _

_Taking in Brooke's appearance in the new light, Peyton felt like crying all over again, but she forced herself not to, knowing tears wouldn't help Brooke. Grabbing a washcloth she doused it in warm water and rung it out before gently dabbing at Brooke's face. Slowly Peyton worked her way down, helping Brooke pull her shirt off so she could tend to the damage there. _

_When her eyes caught the bruises and cuts on Brooke's stomach and back, Peyton was unable to stop the tears from flowing. At that, to her surprise, Brooke moved for the first time since sitting down._

_ Reaching up and brushing a tear away, she said, "It's ok, Pey, it's not that bad." _

_Peyton knew it was just a lie to try and help her, evidenced by the wince of pain at even that small movement. Brooke's voice was hoarser than normal from the crying, and Peyton shook her head side to side. "No, Brooke, it isn't ok. Whoever did this-" _

_Brooke looked at her with pleading eyes, and Peyton stopped herself. "Ok. It's ok, Brooke, I'm not going to make you go there if you don't want to." _

_Brooke offered the tiniest of smiles in thanks, and leaned back against the wall again._

_When she was finally done, Peyton grabbed some loose clothing and slipped it over Brooke's head. Taking her to the bed, she tucked Brooke in and was about to leave when a tug on her wrist stopped her. _

_Looking back at Brooke she saw sudden fear written across her features as she asked, "Stay?" The shame and vulnerability on her face broke Peyton's heart and she was in the bed with Brooke as fast as she could get there. She laid as close as she thought she could without intruding on her, and watched the painful emotions coursing across Brooke's face. _

"_It's ok, Brooke, everything is going to be fine."_

_ But when her quiet murmurings seemed to not do much, Peyton paused and fell silent for a bit, just watching the shaking form. She wasn't going to pry, at least not yet- she didn't want to risk scaring Brooke away. The pain was just so clear for her to see, and finally she moved to wrap Brooke in her arms. When she did, however, Brooke pulled back the tiniest bit. _

"_I'm so broken, Peyton, why do you even care about something as dirty and worthless as me?" The words shocked Peyton, and she searched for the right words to express her feelings. Finding none, she did the only thing she could think of to even begin to show Brooke how much she loved her. _

_Moving closer to her, Peyton leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Brooke's. The feeling caused her belly to do flip-flops, and her heart hammered when Brooke slowly responded. _

_Pulling back, Peyton said, "I love you, Brooke, no matter what, and I will always fix you." _

_Brooke nodded, and nestled in closer to Peyton, ignoring her body's instinct to pull away. Exhaling, she relaxed into the comfort of Peyton's embrace and waited for sleep._

* * *

_They had slept through the night with Brooke held close in Peyton's arms, with Peyton stroking her back and comforting her whenever Brooke started to struggle and whimper in her sleep. The morning light woke Brooke, and she just lay in the warmth of Peyton's arms for a moment before her mind picked up where it had left off. _

_She remembered calling Peyton, and Peyton coming to her rescue, and perhaps most of all she remembered the kiss. It had been so full of love, and Brooke knew that as long as Peyton loved her she would always be ok. _

_Now, in the light of the morning, she knew that she would have to explain what had happened. Finally shifting she looked at Peyton and saw her watching her, but without any seeming expectations or judgment. _

"_Hey, how are you feeling?" Peyton asked quietly, smoothing Brooke's hair before letting her hand rest lightly on her hip. Instead of answering Brooke just snuggled closer to Peyton, burrowing her face in her chest and breathing in deeply. Peyton felt her heart flutter and she had to fight back the urge to kiss her again. _

"_Peyton…" Brooke began, her voice shaking ever so slightly. _

"_It's ok, Brooke you don't have to tell me." Peyton immediately said, knowing instinctively what Brooke was trying to say. Brooke shook her head, gathering her strength. _

"_No, Peyton, I think I owe you at least that much after last night." _

_Steeling herself mentally, Brooke began to tell Peyton everything. She told her how it was her father, how he was almost never around, and when he was it was never good. The part of her life that she had previously kept hidden was finally surfacing, and Peyton could do nothing but hold her while she spoke._

_When she ad said everything, she calmly waited for Peyton to walk out or leave her alone again. Peyton suddenly asked, "Why didn't you come to me sooner, Brooke?" Surprised at the question, Brooke thought for a second. _

"_I didn't want to lose you. If you rejected me, thought I was weak for not being able to escape, I don't know how I would live through that."_

_Burying her head in Brooke's hair Peyton softly said, "Brooke I would never judge you like that. If you ever have a problem, I want you to come to me without even thinking about it. I should be your first and only choice." _

_Brooke nodded at the words, relieved and amazed at Peyton's understanding and love._

* * *

The memory was so vivid, but Peyton knew that many things had changed. She still loved Brooke, was in love with her even, and Brooke still came to her first and foremost. Now, though, they both had other lives that didn't intersect, and there was the minutest of separations between them sometimes.

Times like this erased that separation completely, and Peyton never wanted them to end. Unfortunately, she was all too aware that life often got in the way. Giving Brooke a tender kiss on the top of her head, she stood and pulled Brooke with her.

"C'mon, Brooke, let's grab breakfast and then you can take Mia."

* * *

Ok, there's the update!

I know there's still not much Mia, but I'm working on it:)

And there will be more taking place in the present, this chapter was a bit rushed since I wanted to get something up to keep myself motivated, but it'll get better, promise!

Thanks to all who reviewed, I really appreciate it!

And might I say, for the record, that I am beyond excited for the next episode of Season 6!! SQUEE!!


	3. Chapter 3

Alrighty, so this is a pretty short chapter, and there really isnt a whole lot of breyton. It's mia-centric, but there is some pretty juicy brooke in there too;) Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, I really appreciate it!

* * *

"Ok Mia, ready to go?" Brooke asked, grabbing her jacket from the closet. "Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be," Mia replied, smiling a little. Nodding, Brooke turned to Peyton. "We'll be back soon, I promise."

Peyton looked like she wanted to say something, but she glanced at Mia and instead reached out and pulled Brooke in for a hug and whispered, "Just be careful." Pulling away she looked at Mia and smiled at her. "That goes for you, too!" Mia grinned and nodded.

* * *

Once they were in the car, Brooke turned to Mia. "Alright, so tell me where we're going." Giving Brooke the directions to the sleazy hotel the band had been staying in, Mia sat back in her seat, lost in thought.

_I wonder if Brooke and Peyton are actually dating... they seem so close, and Brooke seems to respond to Peyton better than anyone... But then again, I could completely be over-analyzing this, and they might just be really good friends. The best friends I've ever seen, come to think of it. Nah. They have to be dating. That's really the only explanation._

Coming out of her thoughts, she glanced over at Brooke. Deciding to just ask her, Mia said, "Brooke?"

"Hmmm?" came the distracted reply.

"Can I ask you something?" Mia pressed, trying to get Brooke's attention. Brooke just nodded some more, and Mia sighed.

"Are you and Peyton dating?"

That snapped Brooke out of her thoughts. "What?" she asked, not sure she had heard right.

"I said, are you and Peyton dating? I mean, it's fine if you are, but I was just wondering..."

Brooke smiled at Mia then. "No, it's fine, but to answer your question we aren't." Her smile turned wistful and sad as she said the last words. Mia noticed and said softly, "Do you wish you were?"

Startled, Brooke turned to face Mia again. Sighing at the younger girl's perceptiveness, she debated whether or not to tell her the truth.

_She said she's ok with it, but what if she says something to Peyton, even on accident?_

Deciding to trust her, Brooke quietly admitted, "Yeah, I do."

"Then why aren't you?" Mia asked, bewildered as to why Brooke hadn't just said something to Peyton since she clearly felt the same way.

"If Peyton doesn't feel the same way, I don't... I don't think I could live without her in my life if she took off."

Trying to tell Brooke that Peyton felt the same way, Mia started, "Brooke, she feels the same way-" but Brooke cut her off with a curt shake of her head. "She sees me as a friend, nothing more."

Trying again, Mia said in a softer tone, "Brooke. You two are way closer than any friends I've ever seen, and I don't mean that in a bad way. But when the two of you are together, it's like everyone else disappears around you. I know she feels the same way, Brooke, she loves you too much not too."

Brooke sat there, trying to wrap her mind around what Mia was saying, but before she could really comprehend it or come up with a reply they were pulling into the little motel.

Parking, Brooke looked it up and down before saying, "Let's go inside."

* * *

The inside of the motel was even dingier than the exterior, if that was possible, with paint chipping and flaking all over the walls. Stains covered the carpet, and Brooke was dead certain she didn't want to know how they got there.

"This way," Mia said, leading Brooke to the room. Opening the door, Mia went in and Brooke followed a bit hesitantly, shutting the door behind them. Going over to the lone bed, Mia started grabbing clothes and tossing them into a nearby suitcase.

Brooke moved to help, folding the items neatly so that Mia could fit everything. Mia had just snapped the clasps on the suitcase shut when they both heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

The door opened, revealing Jason with a beer in hand. He stopped as he saw Mia and Brooke, and then started laughing.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in. I'm surprised even he was interested, cause I know I'm sure as hell not!" Laughing again at his own joke, he took a swig from his beer and then glared at the suitcase Mia was still holding. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Brooke could tell Mia was shaking, and her voice showed it as she stuttered, "No-nowhere, Jason." Watching what Jason could do to Mia just by being there killed Brooke, and she moved closer to Mia as she said, "Actually, Jason, she's moving out."

He scoffed in disbelief. "With who? Ain't nobody gonna want a pathetic bitch like her." Brooke glared daggers at him.

"_I _want her, asshole." Mia was watching this whole thing, and now she was looking at Brooke thankfully. She instinctively felt for Brooke's hand when Jason turned his wrath to her again, and Brooke slipped her hand into Mia's. Jason noted this and sneered.

"So what? Are you two _dating_ or something?" He made it sound so horrible and dirty that Brooke wanted to just punch him, but instead she simply glared at him and said, "So what if we are?" Mia squeezed her hand and Brooke knew she was trying to tell her to be careful, but she just waited for Jason's reaction.

"I don't believe you," was finally the best he could come up with. "She was dating me, and I'm a guy, so you must be lying. You're just some cheap whore, a slut, good for nothing but some cheap sex and then you're gone."

Brooke tried to tell herself that it wasn't true, but it was so much like her father and what he had told her so many times and so recently that suddenly her firm convictions were badly shaken. Jason smirked as he saw her weaken.

Looking at Brooke, Mia saw that Jason's words were getting to her and moved closer. "Shut up, Jason, you're just jealous you couldn't keep me satisfied like her," Mia shot back, trying to defend Brooke and get her back to safer ground. Brooke looked up the tiniest of bits and Jason glared some more.

"You're just saying that. In fact, I don't believe you even have the guts to kiss her, much less _date _her." That was the last straw. Mia couldn't stand by and let him hurt Brooke like that, not when Brooke had been fighting so hard for her a few seconds ago.

Leaning towards Brooke, she tilted Brooke's chin up until Brooke's eyes met hers. In that second, Mia leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Brooke's.

The kiss was sweet and full of caring. Knowing that Jason had to believe it, Mia brushed Brooke's lower lip with her tongue and Brooke's mouth opened to her. At that point, Mia lost all coherent trains of thought, and gave herself over to the kiss. When they finally pulled away for air, Mia kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the expression on Brooke's face.

To her surprise, she heard Brooke speak.

"Believe us now?"

Opening her eyes, she saw Brooke staring challengingly at Jason, who spluttered and stammered and finally just nodded.

"Get out, bitch, I don't want any dykes in here." He spat the words with such hate that Mia cringed internally, but Brooke wrapped anarm around her securely and just said, "Fine. We're gone."

Tugging Mia out the door along with her suitcase, Brooke didn't look at Mia once until they were in the car driving. She drove a few blocks away and stopped the car. Resting her head on the steering wheel, she exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry, Brooke..." Mia said tentatively. Brooke lifted her head and asked, "For what?"

"For kissing you, I know I shouldn't have, but he was being so awful, and-"

Brooke cut her off for the second time that day. "Mia. It's ok. You did what you had to do, and I'm proud of you. You stood up to him, didn't let him break you, and that's what really matters." Sighing when Mia still didn't look convinced, she took Mia's hand and squeezed it gently. "Mia, really, I'm totally ok with it."

Finally chancing a look at Brooke, Mia sighed when she saw the sincerity written all over her face. "Thanks Brooke," she whispered.

"Anytime," Brooke smiled, "Now what do you say we head home?"

Mia smiled, liking the way it sounded.

_Home._

* * *

Huh. So i know some of you prolly hate me for not having any breyton, but this kinda needed to be addressed before the story could go any farther. Plus, a certain someone mentioned in a certain review that they thought Mia and Brooke could potentially be good together, and i couldnt get the thought out of my head. Problem solved! No worries, though, they won't actually be together, as this story is purely Breyton! It just fit nicely into the stroyline, so i decided to include it just for fun.

Review if you want, it's very appreciated!

cello


	4. An

Ok, so I'll replace this with a chapter update soon, but I seriously felt the need to vent after the 6.2 episode.

URRRGGGGHHHHHH. I can't believe it.

Did Peyton seriously not realize that something was up with Brooke? I mean, COME ON!

It bugged me, a lot, and now Brooke is getting kinda shoved to the back since Q died, and I'm unbelievably upset.

Gosh. Words can't quite express my supreme frustration. Of all people, DEB was the one that Brooke ended up turning to, because stupid Peyton refused to acknowledge that something was wrong!! Assuming she even noticed….. But wow.

"I got tangled in some sheets and feel down the stairs, and I got bitch slapped by Lindsey. So now I have two black eyes and I can barely move I'm so sore." How could Peyton buy that?! Like twenty years of being friends and she couldn't tell something was up??

Ok. So I feel a bit better, still very deprived of any good Brooke scenes, but slightly better. I apologize for my little rant, but I just needed to get it off my chest. If you agree with me and feel like ranting back, please feel free to pm me so that you can review when i replace this with a chapter!

I'll update soon, and make it turn out how I think it should have!!

cello


	5. Chapter 5

Enjoy!

* * *

Walking through the door, Brooke looked around for Peyton. Not seeing her, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Mia came in behind her, saying, "I'm going to go set my stuff down in my room. That ok?"

Brooke nodded. "Of course, Mia, go ahead." Resting her head on her arms, she was startled by a pair of slender arms suddenly encircling her. Jumping, she looked up to see Peyton watching her with concern.

"Sorry, I should have let you know I was here," Peyton said.

Brooke waved her apology away, saying, "Don't worry about it."

"How did things go with Mia?" Peyton asked.

Relaxed again, Brooke sighed and said, "Jason showed up." At the look of intense alarm on Peyton's face, she was quick to add, "Don't worry, everything's ok. Mia did great."

"Only 'cause of you," Mia said, walking over form her room. Peyton arched an eyebrow.

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, first Jason was being an asshole, and Brooke was fighting back, and then he said some stuff," here she paused, glancing at Brooke, "–and now he thinks we're dating." Peyton was surprised at the swell of jealousy that rose in her as Mia finished her sentence.

"What?" she asked, not sure she had heard right.

Brooke looked at Mia, silently asking her to explain. Mia tried to think of the best way to explain what had happened, and finally settled for, "He asked if we were dating, Brooke implied that we were to try and get him to back off, he said he didn't believe us and then I kissed her."

The words came out in a rush, but Peyton caught the important parts.

_Brooke. Mia. Kissing._

Her shock showed on her face, and Brooke exchanged a worried glance with Mia. Shaking her head, Peyton forced herself to smile.

It shouldn't matter to her if Brooke was kissing another girl… after all, she didn't even know if Brooke liked her back. The possessiveness she was feeling was completely unfounded, and besides, Mia had only done it to get away from Jason.

_But still… _

"I'm glad it worked out," Peyton said, turning away from Brooke. "I have some errands to run, but I'll be back by tonight." Before Brooke or Mia could say a word, she was out the door and headed for her car.

She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she was bound to do something stupid if she stayed.

Inside, Mia said softly, "I'm sorry, Brooke." Brooke shook her head. "It's not your fault, I didn't expect her to get so freaked out by it either."

Mia opened her mouth to tell Brooke that she didn't think Peyton was freaked out so much as jealous, but decided that Brooke might not be up for another feelings talk, so instead settled for asking, "You want to grab some food?"

Brooke replied, "I'm not really hungry right now, but you can order whatever and I'll come get some later." With a look that said she wanted to argue but wouldn't, Mia nodded and said, "Ok, Brooke, if you're sure. Thank you again for helping me."

Brooke hugged Mia tightly. "Any time, I'm glad it worked out for you. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Heading down the hallway, she stopped by the door to one of the guest rooms, but on impulse continued down the hall to Peyton's room. Closing the door behind her, she laid down on the bed.

Curling into the fetal position on her side, she thought about everything that had happened over the past 48 hours.

_I'm so happy Peyton asked Mia to stay with her last night. If she hadn't she would still be with that excuse for a human being. Speaking of which, I don't think he's going to get over the little show Mia and I put on any time soon. _

_But then again, I'm not sure Peyton will either. God I hope she does, I need her so much. I just wish I could tell her what's really going on…Maybe I should. She could tell me what to do, what I __should __do. But he said…_

As her thoughts spiraled downward, Brooke inhaled the scent of Peyton's pillow in an attempt to calm herself. Just a few seconds of breathing deeply had her calmed considerably, and she relaxed onto the bed.

Eventually, she drifted into an uneasy sleep, and just hoped that Peyton would return soon.

Meanwhile, Mia sat in the living room with her guitar. Playing through chords she glanced at the clock.

_7:50. Peyton better get back soon or I'm going to chew her butt out. I don't care if she's pissed at me, but I don't want Brooke to have to go through a repeat of last night again. I wish I could help her, I really do, but Peyton is the only one who can do that, and she knows it. _

Scribbling lyrics down, Mia decided to wait a little longer before calling Peyton.

* * *

Peyton hugged Lucas goodbye as she got into her car. "Thanks for everything, Luke," she said. Squeezing her tighter, Lucas replied, "Always. You know I'm always here for you, Peyton. I love you, you know that?"

He pulled away as he spoke the last words, searching Peyton's eyes. "I love you too, Luke, I'm lucky to have a great friend like you," Peyton said warmly, pointedly ignoring the intent look she was receiving.

_Maybe he'll take the hint._

"Actually, Peyton, there's something I've been meaning to tell you, I just couldn't figure out how."

_Shit. So much for that idea._

"The thing is, Peyton, I think I might want to be more than friends-"

Peyton cut him off. "No, Luke, don't do this." Disbelief etched across his features, Lucas said, "But Peyton, we always said we were meant to be, we were forever, we were-"

"No. Not anymore, Luke, I'm sorry." Getting into her car, Peyton left him standing there in the street.

_I can't believe this is happening, he didn't just tell me he still loves me, did he? Once upon a time that would have made my head spin and I would have jumped into his arms right then and there, but now… now I can't look at him without thinking about Brooke._

_ I only went to him because I knew he would just listen and not judge…and he was doing great until now. An afternoon of just talking and hanging out, and then he goes and springs something like this. I can't believe him! _

Looking around at where she had ended up, Peyton saw she had reached the cemetery. Deciding to make a pit stop since she was there, she got out and headed for her mom's grave. The air was cooling off, but the failing light and warm breeze made it seem perfect.

Sitting down, she sighed.

_I could definitely use your opinion on this one, mom. What do I do? Just tell Brooke, 'Hey, by the way, I love you?'_

_ And now I'm going to have to deal with Lucas… I really, really wish he would just get over himself already. Just because __he__ thinks he's the most important thing in the world doesn't mean the rest of us agree. He can't expect the world to stop just because he wants it to. _

_I have to think about other people now, I'm not the same selfish teenager I used to be. I still can't believe I promised Brooke I would never hurt her again and then went and told her I still had feelings for Lucas. How did she ever forgive me? _

Lying back on the ground, Peyton looked up at the stars, searching for shapes that she could interpret as signs.

* * *

Shivering, Peyton sat bolt upright.

_Where am i? What time is it? How did I get here?_

Looking around, Peyton realized she must have fallen asleep at the cemetery. It was completely dark, and as she stood she was suddenly aware that she was freezing.

Jogging to her car, she got in and turned on the heat. Grabbing her purse, she glanced at her phone to see what time it was. Instead of a clock display, however, she was greeted by **7 MISSED CALLS. **

Worry flooded her veins as she flipped the phone open and started driving home. Mia's voice reached her ear. _"Hey Peyton, it's Mia, it's like 8:30, and I just wanted to see where you were. I understand if you're mad, but I just really don't think Brooke should be alone right now. Call me back to let me know what's going on." _

The voicemails became progressively more agitated, culminating in total panic during the last one.

_"Peyton, please, please, please come back, I don't care if you never talk to me again, you can throw me out on the street, but at least pick up the damn phone! Brooke is freaking out, and I cant wake her up, and I don't know what to do. It's like she's stuck in her nightmare, like last night only a hundred times worse, and I'm scared. Peyton-_ Mia's voice was drowned out by a scream. The message ended shortly after.

Panicking, Peyton looked at the time of the message.

_10:42._

Looking at her phone she realized the call had come in over a half an hour ago. Anything could have happened, and Mia hadn't called again, and Brooke had clearly been getting worse.

_Fuck. What if something happened to her? It's all my fault._

Speeding the rest of the way home, Peyton leaped out of the car and ran for the door of her house. Running through the door, she sprinted to Brooke's room. There was no sign of her there, so Peyton looked into Mia's room.

_Where the hell is she?_

As a last resort, Peyton ran to her own room, and rushed down the hall to find Mia and- _Haley? What is she doing here?_

Shrugging the thought away, Peyton searched for Brooke. Not finding her, she looked towards Mia and Haley and saw them staring at her.

"You came." Mia's voice was surprised, but otherwise blank. Haley just watched Peyton.

"Where is she, where's Brooke?" Peyton gasoed, out of breath.

Haley finally said, "She locked herself in your room when she woke up, and she refuses to talk to us."

Only then did Peyton realize they were sitting right outside the door to her room with the door closed.

"Can- can you give me a sec?" Peyton asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Mia clearly didn't want to, but Haley stood and Mia followed her after a last glare at Peyton. Going over to the door, Peyton pressed her ear to it. No sounds reached her, so she softly said, "Brooke? Are you there?"

After a minute with no response, Peyton tried again. "They told me what happened, Brooke, I'm so sorry I wasn't here, but please, let me in." There was dead silence for another few minutes, but then out of the blue Peyton heard the lock click in the door.

Reaching for the handle, she carefully opened the door.

"Brooke?"

The question fell into silence once more, but Peyton's eyes found the object they sought- Brooke, lying curled on the bed. Making her way to the bed, Peyton felt her heart split at the sight of Brooke's shaking form. Reaching out for her, Peyton was shocked when Brooke shrank from her touch.

Overcoming the naseua that hit her at Brooke's response, Peyton focused on trying to get Brooke to at least talk.

"Brooke, it's Peyton, I'm here now, everything is ok."

"I thought you had left me," Brooke finally whispered. "I thought you didn't care."

Stretching out on the bed, Peyton took Brooke's hand in hers and was relieved when Brooke let her. "I would never leave you, Brooke. Believe me when I say that you are the most important thing in my life. It's going to be ok now."

Out of the darkness Brooke whispered hoarsely, "No. Nothing is ok, Peyton, and I don't think it ever will be again." T

he words felt like a knife to Peyton's heart, and she moved closer to Brooke.

"What are you talking about, Brooke? Of course it's going to be ok eventually."

Brooke shook her head even though she knew Peyton couldn't see it in the dark. "No, Pey, i- he-"

"What, Brooke? You can tell me anything."

Shaking her head more fervently, Brooke said, "No, Peyton, he said- he said he'll kill you if I say anything. I can't lose you, I can't."

Closing the remaining space between their bodies, Peyton drew Brooke close to her. "You'll never lose me, Brooke, I promise. You have me no matter what."

"But…"

"No buts, Brooke. I'm here, and I am never leaving you." Looking up at Peyton, Brooke didn't protest and allowed herself to burrow into Peyton's neck.

"Can I tell you tomorrow, Pey? I'm just so tired…"

"Of course, Brooke. Go to sleep, I'll be right here protecting you." Kissing the top of Brooke's head, she ran her fingers through brunette locks as she felt Brooke's breathing slow and even.

_Oh my god, what did I do tonight? I promise her that I'll never let anything hurt her again and then less than 24 hours later I pretty much abandon her. How is it even possible for her to still trust me? _

_I don't deserve her… but what was she saying about not being able to tell me because he threatened to kill me? I'm guessing 'he' is her father, but why would he kill __me__? _

Peyton forced her mind blank, knowing that she would get answers in the morning from Brooke.

Haley and Mia opened the door quietly later on and peeked in.

Mia sighed with relief when she saw Brooke snuggled with Peyton. Peyton looked up as they looked in, but not once did she stop stroking Brooke's hair. Brooke was sleeping peacefully, and Mia and Haley backed out of the room.

Turning to Haley, Mia said, "We can talk to her tomorrow."

* * *

Ok, hope you guys liked it! School has been crazy with wayy too many papers, so i've decided to make it my goal to update at least once a week and leave it at that. Much more and i think i'll go crazy from lack of sleep.

Reviews are love, let me know if you have any brilliant ideas on where you think i should take this. Im not sure, so if you have a good idea, i might work it in...

Lots and lots and lots of drama will be coming up (obviously), and thanks for sticking around and reading!

-cello

P.S. I left the A/N chapter there since some ppl reviewed it. That way reviews dont get messed up!


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, hurray for updates! Enjoy!**

* * *

Brooke woke gradually, not wanting to cross the fuzzy boundary between sleep and waking. She groaned a bit, and suddenly felt a gentle hand stroking her hair.

"Shh, Brooke, it's ok. I'm here, you're safe now." Once she got over her initial surprise, Brooke smiled as she listened to Peyton.

"I'm always safe when I'm with you," she murmured into Peyton's shoulder. Looking down in surprise, Peyton said, "I didn't know you were awake." Shifting so she could look up at Peyton, Brooke smiled at the sight of Peyton with tousled hair and sleepy eyes.

"I wasn't," she said, "but then I heard someone talking and I decided I should wake my lazy ass up and thank them for staying with me."

"Too bad that someone wasn't there sooner...I'm surprised you aren't yelling at them," Peyton said, not looking directly at Brooke. Seeing the guilty look on Peyton's face, Brooke quietly said, "They showed up in the end, and they still managed to save the day and fix everything that was broken. That's what counts."

When Peyton looked like she was going to protest, Brooke cut in, saying, "But, since said person was _considerably _later than they should have been, I think they are forever in debt to the forgiving nature of one Brooke Davis and owe her an explanation later."

Drawing Brooke closer to her, Peyton whispered into her hair, "I guess I'll just have to explain and then stay with you forever, hmmm?" Brooke nodded, sighing a little as she contemplated the thought.

_I wish._

Peyton's voice finally broke the comfortable silence. "So... you want to tell me what's going on?" Brooke shook her head no, but sat up anyways. The room felt cold without the warmth of Peyton's arms around her, but it seemed fitting for the topic.

"I know you saw him and everything, and it's horrible, and I wish I could kill him for it, but is that the only reason you started having nightmares again?" Peyton was still talking, and Brooke waited patiently for her to finish. She was in no rush to spill her secrets, and it was interesting to see what Peyton thought. When Peyton was done, she looked at Brooke.

"I really want to know what's going on so I can try and fix it, but if you don't want to tell me yet that's ok, Brooke."

"No, Pey, it's ok," Brooke said softly," I want you to know. It's just hard to find the words I want." Sitting up next to Brooke, Peyton took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Take your time, there's no rush."

Squeezing Peyton's hand in thanks, Brooke slowly started talking.

"You already know I saw him the other day, obviously, and I was definitely freaked out by that. It was the first time I'd seen him without a police escort since... well since that night. He shouldn't even have been there to begin with because of the restraining order, but when has the law ever mattered to him before? He just waltzed over with this grin on his face, like he had been waiting his whole life for that moment. I couldn't move, after all this time and I'm still not strong enough to stand up to him."

The look of disgust and self-loathing that crossed Brooke's face broke Peyton's heart, and she scooted so that she was sitting behind Brooke. Pulling her back so that Brooke was resting on her body, she rubbed Brooke's arms gently up and down. Peyton wanted desperately to contradict Brooke, but she knew that it would be bad to interrupt her now that she had finally started.

Taking a deep breath, Brooke tried to calm herself and continued.

"He came up and grabbed my arm so I couldn't get away, and then," she paused as a quiet sob escaped her, "he told me how he blames me for everything. How him going to jail and the years he lost there, he knows it's all my fault. And because he knows who's responsible, he's going to punish them- punish me. He told me everything that he plans on doing, and there's nothing I can do to stop him, because he said if I do try and stop him, he's going to kill you, Pey, and I can't let that happen."

By this point Brooke was only able to talk in between sobs, and Peyton held her tightly. She couldn't believe that not only had he said those thinggs to Brooke without her being aware of it, but that Brooke hadn't told her in some sort of attempt to protect her.

Focusing back on Brooke as the girl calmed, Peyton felt even more helpless when Brooke said quietly, "That's what the nightmares have been about...I can't stop thinking about him, and how he might hurt you because of _me_. That thought terrifies me more than anything, Peyton; I don't think I would be able to live knowing that something happened to you because of me and my weakness."

Burrowing back into Peyton's arms, Brooke inhaled deeply. The sweet aroma that was uniquely Peyton instantly brought her a sense of peace, and the added effect of Peyton stroking her hair and holding her tightly seemed to make everything ok. When Brooke's breathing was finally somewhat regular again, Peyton shifted so that she could see Brooke's face.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, ok? I'm always going to be here when you need me, Brooke, always."

Brooke sighed. Peyton seemed to be having difficulty grasping why she was so upset over this, or maybe it was just that she didn't want to acknowledge what the real problem was.

"But what if you aren't, Peyt? What if one day you aren't, and it's my fault?" Gradual understanding dawned on Peyton, and she tried to think of a way to reassure Brooke.

"Brooke, listen to me. Your father is an evil, cruel person who doesn't deserve to be alive, but that doesn't mean he gets to say what happens in your life or in mine. If anything happens to me, it isn't going to be because of you. It's going to be because of the decisions that I made, the path I chose. I would die for you Brooke, if it meant keeping you safe."

Peyton felt Brooke stiffen at her words and pull away.

"Don't say that, Peyton. Don't you_ dare_ say that you would die for me."

The fear coursing through Brooke at the thought of Peyton doing something like that was making her physically shake, and it was all Peyton could do to not just tell her to forget it and hold her again.

"I never, ever want to hear that again. I'm not worth it, Peyton, so please. Please, don't say something like that." Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks by the time she finished talking, and Peyton finally moved and gently wiped them away with her thumbs.

"Brooke, would you die to save me?"

Without a second's hesitation, Brooke replied, "Of course, Peyton, do you really even have to ask? You're the most important thing in my life; I would do anything for you!"

Sighing, Peyton said, "Do you not think that I feel the same way? That you aren't the same thing to me? Because you are, Brooke, so how can you tell me not to do what you just told me you would do?"

Surprised at the ferocity behind Peyton's words, Brooke tried one last time to feebly protest.

"But Peyton-"

Before she fully knew what she was doing, Peyton was pressing her lips to Brooke's to silence her. It lasted only a few seconds, and when she pulled back Peyton was a little hurt at the shock she saw in Brooke's eyes.

Deciding to ignore what she had just done and the repercussions it might have, Peyton took advantage of Brooke's momentary silence and said, "Don't. Don't say you aren't worth it, because you are. I want- no, I _need_ you in my life, Brooke. I don't care what your dad said, I'm not going anywhere and I _will_ protect you."

The softly spoken question of "Why?" almost didn't reach Peyton's ears, but she caught it and before thinking she said, "Because I love you."

When Peyton's eyes widened at the revelation, Brooke knew better than to assume that she meant it as a friend, as she had always assumed Peyton had meant it before. _Peyton loves me? As a friend, right? But then why would she freak out like that? So she must mean it in a more-than-friends way. Wow. That's something I never thought I would hear outside my dreams..._

Peyton opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of how to take back what she had just said. From the look on Brooke's face, she knew that her comment and its meaning had been understood, and Peyton didn't think she could deal with Brooke's rejection and disgust.

Standing to go, she made it to the door and was about to open it when she heard a sudden movement from behind her and turned, coming face to face with a dangerously close Brooke. The brunette's breathing was uneven, and before Peyton had a chance to say anything, Brooke's lips were on hers.

The sweetness and quiet desperation of their previous kisses was mirrored in this one, along with all the tenderness and love that embodied their relationship. The new passion made both hearts race, however, as Brooke felt Peyton gently part her lips with her tongue. Brooke suddenly found herself subjected to a range of emotions she had never known she could feel, and she moaned into Peyton's mouth.

The world melted away and when Brooke finally broke away to breathe, she left her forehead resting against Peyton's. "I love you, Peyton, god I love you so much it hurts. I never thought that…I mean, are you sure?"

Peyton silenced any remaining doubts with another kiss. Brooke's hands tangled in blonde hair, pulling Peyton even closer, and when they finally pulled apart again, Peyton grinned and said, "I'm sure."

The love in Peyton's eyes washed away all further questions in Brooke's mind, and she just pulled Peyton to her in a tight hug. Without letting go of Brooke, Peyton finally asked, "So what's Haley doing here?"

Brooke pulled back looking puzzled. "Haley's here?"

Peyton nodded.

"She and Mia were sitting outside the door last night when I got here. You wouldn't talk to them or let them in."

"That's just because they weren't my P. Sawyer," Brooke replied with a small smile, though she was a bit surprised that she couldn't remember that happening.

"Yeah, well, I think we still have some explaining to do."

Looking up at Peyton, Brooke asked, "Like what?"

Noting the touch of worry in Brooke's voice, Peyton softly said, "Nothing you don't want to talk about."

"Do you mind if… if we don't say anything about this," she gestured at herself and Peyton, "It's not that I don't want them to know, but it's just so new."

Peyton smiled reassuringly.

"Of course, Brooke. I was thinking more along the lines of me explaining last night and you telling them it's going to be ok now. You know, I think Mia is really worried about you. You should've seen the death glare she sent my way last night when I finally got here."

Grinning, Brooke said, "Well, good for her. It's going to be nice having someone on my side!"

Playfully swatting Brooke's arm, Peyton opened the door and started down the hallway.

Mia and Haley were sitting at the kitchen table, and looked up when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. They were surprised to see not only Peyton, but also Brooke coming towards them, her hand laced with Peyton's.

"Hey you," Haley said, "How are you?"

"Better, thanks," Brooke replied with a small smile.

Neither Haley nor Mia missed the glance Brooke shot at Peyton, but they didn't say anything about it.

Moving to the couch so that they could talk while sitting down, Peyton said, "I think I owe you an explanation about last night."

Mia nodded. "I think you're right."

Sighing at the blatant venom in Mia's voice, Peyton said, "I didn't mean to get here so late. I was on my way home, and I stopped at the cemetery and ended up falling asleep. My phone was in the car, or I would have heard it and come sooner, I swear. When I woke up I came as quickly as I could, but you have to believe that I would never have intentionally left Brooke."

Brooke laid her head on Peyton's shoulder as she talked and whispered something that Haley and Mia couldn't hear when Peyton finished talking.

In a normal voice, Brooke said, "Ok, so I don't mean to be rude, but how did you end up here Haley?"

Mia spoke for the first time. "That was me. When I couldn't get ahold of you, Peyton, I went through Brooke's phone and 'Tutor wife' just seemed like the person I should call for help."

Haley broke in here, saying, "You have no idea how scary it was for me to get a call from Mia at ten at night, from Brooke's phone, telling me that she needed help because Brooke was in trouble. Anyways, of course I came as fast as I could, but obviously it didn't do a whole lot of good. Apparently that's a right reserved for only Peyton."

A wry smile accompanied her words, but her eyes showed that she wasn't really mad, just happy that Peyton had been able to fix everything.

Standing up, Haley said, "Well, I'd better get back to Jamie. I wanted to stick around to make sure that everything was ok, but I think you guys have it under control now."

Brooke smiled warmly at Haley and stood to give her a hug. "Thank you for everything, Hales, I really appreciate you coming like that."

Peyton also stood, but couldn't think of any way to express her thanks for what Haley had done besides a simple, "Thank you."

Haley hugged her tightly and said, "Just make sure you take care of her."

Peyton nodded, knowing that she would never give anyone reason to doubt her commitment to Brooke again. When Haley was finally gone, Brooke went over to Mia and just hugged her hard.

"Thank you, Mia; you were beyond amazing last night."

"Don't mention it," Mia said, "I'm just glad that it worked out."

With a pointed look at Peyton, Brooke said, "I'll be right back, ok?"

Peyton sighed and nodded, knowing that she would have to face Mia sooner or later. When Brooke was safely out of the room, Peyton turned to Mia and said, "I'm sorry."

Glaring, Mia said sarcastically, "For what? For promising Brooke that you would be there and then abandoning her when she needed you the most? For _knowing _that she was having nightmares and _still_ not making sure you were here? For letting her think you hated her for something that _I _did? I mean, god, Peyton, what could you _possibly_ be sorry for?"

Peyton had known it was coming, but hearing it all laid out like that still made her eyes sting with tears.

"I know, Mia, trust me, I'm not going to forgive myself for this for a very long time. In fact, I don't think I'm ever going to forget this and how I hurt Brooke. It was all my fault, and…and I don't even have a good reason for hurting her."

Mia softened a bit as she saw how much Peyton truly blamed herself for everything that had happened.

"I guess the important thing for both of us to remember is that you did come, and you did fix her when nobody else could."

Looking up at Mia to see a small, sad smile on her face, Peyton allowed the tiny indication of forgiveness to wash over her and take away a tiny amount of the guilt with it.

Brooke came back into the room and sat down next to Peyton, snuggling close to her. Peyton wrapped an arm around Brooke and rested her head on Brooke's, reveling in the warmth and comfort that Brooke provided.

"Hear that, P. Sawyer? You fixed me, just like always," Brooke said quietly. Peyton planted a tender kiss on her temple, not caring what Mia thought. When she glanced up, she saw Mia getting up to leave, but with a full-blown smile on her face now.

"What?" Peyton asked, wanting to know what had Mia grinning.

Mia just shook her head and laughed as she left the room, happy to see that Peyton and Brooke had finally realized what was meant to be.

Brooke shook her head at the retreating teen. "She is something else." Peyton nodded her head in agreement, smiling at the fondness in Brooke's voice. As she leaned down to place a small kiss on Brooke's lips, she was unable to help a squeak of surprise when Brooke pulled her all the way down and on top of her.

Soon, all coherent thoughts fled her mind as she lost herself in the kiss. Sighing contentedly, Brooke pulled away and smiled up at Peyton. For the first time in a while, she felt as though everything was really going to be ok.

* * *

So, what did you think? Good, bad? Please review, I'm far from done, so motivation is fantastic!

Thanks for reading!

-cello


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry It took so long to update, and thanks to those who reviewed and reminded me not to wait TOO long!

Lucas stood outside the door, waiting for someone to answer it. He had knocked four times already, and so far he had been ignored. Based on the cars in the driveway, though, he knew that at least one person had to be home, but he hadn't a clue as to why Peyton hadn't come and answered the door yet.

Looking back at the past night, Lucas was certain that she had simply been overwhelmed by his confession. After all, it was a pretty world-shattering, earth-moving kind of announcement. Now, however, he was equally certain that Peyton would have come to her senses and would fly into his waiting arms the second she saw him, professing her undying love.

When he knocked for a fifth time and still received no answer, the blonde decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Going around the back of the house, he looked up at the window that he knew led to Peyton's room and started to scale the nearby tree.

Reaching the top, he paused for a moment to look inside the room. Not seeing anyone, he sighed a little, disappointed that his grand display of love and commitment would be seen only by the bird roosting near his head.

Carefully reaching out and tugging Peyton's window open, he leaned forward enough to get a firm grip and pull himself into the room. With Peyton still nowhere in sight, he headed downstairs and saw a mop of blonde curls sitting on the couch. Pausing for a second to gather his thoughts and make sure that he looked presentable, Lucas was about to step forward when he heard Peyton speak.

"C'mon, we should go get breakfast." A small groan followed her words, and then a voice that he couldn't quite place spoke. "Don't wanna..." Lucas saw Peyton grin down at whoever was on the couch with her before standing and reaching out a hand. More whining followed. "Peyton it's freezing! How do you expect me to survive?!"

Still not noticing Lucas' presence, Peyton's grin got bigger as she whispered, "Well, in that case, I can think of a really, really fantastic way to warm you back up."

Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Who the hell was Peyton- _his_ Peyton- talking to? He found out moments later when he saw a slender hand take Peyton's and none other than Brooke Davis stood up.

Unable to believe his eyes now, Lucas could only watch with open mouth as Peyton pulled Brooke to her and gently placed a kiss on her lips. More shocking than that was when Peyton pushed Brooke against the wall, deepening the kiss.

Finally Lucas was able to regain control of his voice, and he couldn't stop the yelp of "Peyton!" that escaped him.

Instantly breaking apart from Brooke, Peyton whirled, placing herself between whoever had snuck into the apartment and the brunette. Upon seeing Lucas, her jaw dropped.

"Luke? What the hell are you doing here? Did I not make myself clear last night?" When she got no response other than disbelieving blue eyes flicking between her and Brooke, Peyton reached for Brooke's hand. Twining their fingers, she chanced a glance at the other girl. Hazel eyes watched her with confusion and a little bit of fear. Squeezing her hand to let her know it was ok, Peyton turned her attention back to Lucas.

He was glaring daggers at Brooke, as though he could kill her with a mere look. Seeing the hatred directed at Brooke, Peyton stepped to block his view of her without ever letting go of Brooke's hand.

"I can't believe this," he sputtered.

"Well believe it, cuz it's true," Peyton retorted with a slight smirk. Seeing them holding hands, the protective way that Peyton shielded Brooke from him, caused so much disgust and rage to boil in Lucas that he was helpless to stop the words coming out of his mouth.

"Huh. Well ok then, Peyton, but I can't believe even you would sink so damn low. I mean, she's only slept with every guy in Tree Hill, and she can't even save herself."

Feeling like her jaw could hit the floor, Peyton stared. What did he know? What had he meant by that last remark? Watching her with malicious glee, Lucas continued.

"Don't even pretend to be so shocked. It's not like every person who lives around here doesn't know it. Her failure of a father, going out and getting drunk and taking it out on his weak little daughter who was never strong enough to do something about it. She's pathetic, Peyton, and really, so are you for being with her. Brooke is tainted, damaged goods, _worthless, _and that's what she'll always be. Just another _worthless_ slut."

Before he could say anything else, he saw a fist coming at him and he was on the floor. Looking up with shock, he saw Peyton standing above him, more furious than he could ever remembered seeing her.

"How dare you Lucas? How _fucking_ dare you? Brooke is the most amazing person I know, she's been through so much and yet she still manages to have compassion, unlike you. You have absolutely _no_ room to talk about being pathetic and worthless, because after that little speech, that's what you are. Worthless. I don't know what I ever saw in you- a petulant little boy who takes pleasure in other people's pain. You're disgusting, and I want you out _now._ Out of my house, and out of my life."

Lucas slowly stood, the ramifications of his actions sinking in. "But-"

Peyton cut him off, snapping, "And don't even think about arguing or coming back. The next time I see you, I swear to god I'm calling the cops about harassment."

Not wanting to listen to Peyton any more, not wanting to hear what he had set in motion, Lucas headed for the door. Stopping as he left, he sent a last glare at Brooke and spat, "You'll get what's coming to you, bitch, I promise you that."

The door slammed, and Peyton stood there in the sudden silence. Turning to face Brooke, Peyton saw her sink to the floor with her knees up to her chest and tears in her eyes. Instantly, the blonde had her arms wrapped around the smaller girl's shaking form, and she rocked her gently.

"He's gone, Brooke, he's gone. It's ok now." Brooke shook her head, saying, "I'm so sorry, Peyton, you shouldn't have to deal with any of this. These are my problems, not yours. He was right, I'm damaged goods, worthless, and it's affecting you, as hard as I try not to let it, it's affecting you."

Peyton ran a hand through brunette hair and laced her fingers with Brooke's again. "Honey, Lucas didn't know what he was saying. He was mad at me, not you, and he was just looking for something to hurt me. It just so happens that you're the only thing I care enough about for him to be able to go after, and I'm so unbelievably sorry you got caught in the crossfire. You have to know, though, that you are _not_ worthless, Brooke. You are the most important thing in my life; what happened in the past belongs just there- in the past."

Brooke nodded into Peyton's chest, and the blonde slowly stood. "Come on, let's forget about him. How do waffles sound for breakfast?" Brooke nodded again with a half-smile, opting to take the out Peyton was offering her. "Sounds fantastic."

The two were just finishing breakfast when Mia walked into the kitchen. Sniffing the air, she said, "Something smells good, any left for me?" Peyton nodded, not really looking at Mia, and said, "There's some waffles over there by the stove if you want them."

Mia glanced at Brooke, who just shrugged a little. She knew that the younger brunette had only been trying to look out for her the night before, but Peyton had been feeling plenty guilty without Mia going off on her too. She was loathe to leave the two alone again, but she really wanted to go shower and have a little time to herself to think about everything that had happened over the past few days.

Standing, she said, "I'm going to go take a shower, so _try_ not to kill each other please."

A pointed look at Mia and then Brooke was gone, not turning back to see the look of abandonment that she knew Peyton was undoubtedly wearing. Peyton sighed when Brooke was out of sight. She couldn't believe the other girl would just ditch her with Mia when she _knew_ that Mia blamed her for everything.

The other girl's earlier rant had made that perfectly clear, even if she had grudgingly backed off at the end. Standing to leave, she was stopped by a cautious hand on her arm. "Can you wait a second, Peyton?"

Hoping she wasn't in for another tongue-lashing, Peyton turned to face Mia and said, "I guess, why?"

Mia shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other before finally saying, "I'm sorry for earlier, Peyton. I know that I had no right to yell at you like that, it's just…"

She trailed off as Peyton finished her sentence. "You were worried?"

Mia nodded, looking up at Peyton in slight surprise. With a small smile Peyton said, "It's ok Mia, really. I think I would have done the exact same thing in your shoes, and I've been known to get a little over-protective when it comes to Brooke too. Apparently she seems to bring that out in people." A wry smile accompanied her words as she thought back to Lucas. _Not that he didn't deserve it_.

Mia sighed, unbelievably glad that Peyton was being so understanding. "Thanks, Peyton. After everything she's done for me, even in the little time I've known her, I just don't want to see her hurt."

Peyton nodded, "Yeah, I get that. I need to talk to her about how she wins people over so quickly, though, see if I can't pick up some of her tricks." Peyton was about to step out of the kitchen when she was stopped by the sound of Mia's voice one last time.

"And Peyton? Don't worry, you're not going to hurt her. She loves you, you know, and I don't see that ever changing." Peyton stared back at the younger girl, mouth hanging open. 

_How does she know?_

Mia smiled a little before turning back to her waffles. Peyton opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, completely at a loss for words. Finally she opted to just leave, since Mia was clearly done with the conversation.

Brooke couldn't help the snicker that escaped her lips as she listened to Peyton talk about Mia and how she thought that Mia knew something. She had been sitting on the bed for the past ten minutes while Peyton paced and ranted. Peyton had kept some of Mia's words to herself, but she had made sure that Brooke still got the gist of the comments.

"How the heck does she know? It's like she knew before _we_ did!" Peyton exclaimed, giving Brooke a light smack on the shoulder when she didn't reply.

"What? Oh, sorry, yeah she must be psychic or something." Brooke replied, but she was less than convincing.

"Brooke Penelope Davis, did you tell Mia?" Peyton yelled, everything suddenly clicking in her head. Brooke shook her head sheepishly, looking down at her feet. "Not on purpose!"

At the baleful glare she received, the brunette hurried to explain further. "She asked me if we were dating on the way to pick up her stuff, and I said no… and then she asked me if I wanted to."

"What did you say?" Peyton asked, her voice softening as she listened to Brooke.

"Yes." Brooke said simply, still not looking at the other girl.

Smiling at the brunette's answer, Peyton slowly stepped behind her and wrapped her arms around the slender frame in front of her. "Well then, I guess it's good that we're dating now, hmmmm?" she whispered in Brooke's ear, loving the shiver she felt pass through the girl's body at her words.

Brooke found herself unable to speak at the feeling of Peyton's breath blowing warm on her neck and her body pressed close against her back. Peyton grinned as Brooke nodded fervently, and turned Brooke's face to her own. Leaning forward painfully slow, Peyton brushed her lips against Brooke's lightly at first, wanting to make sure that Brooke was ok with it, but she quickly received her answer when she found herself being pulled by eager hands until she was practically straddling Brooke.

Peyton found herself completely overwhelmed by the sensations Brooke was evoking and was helpless to stop her moan. Brooke smiled into Peyton's mouth as she heard her, but felt like moaning herself as the blonde moved down to Brooke's neck.

Nipping and sucking, Peyton felt Brooke's hands tighten on her hips even as she tilted her neck to give Peyton better access. Lightly pushing the brunette back so she was laying down on the bed, Peyton continued marking Brooke. She never, ever wanted anyone to doubt for a second that Brooke wasn't hers, and as she reveled in the feeling of Brooke twisting beneath her Peyton made a silent vow to never let the other girl go.

Pausing for a split second, Peyton was taken by surprise when Brooke flipped them so that Peyton was beneath her. Smirking down at the prone form lying beneath her, Brooke leaned down to Peyton's ear to whisper, "My turn," before nipping at the lobe and moving downward. She made short work of returning Peyton's attentions, and then slowly began to move further south.

Looking up at the blonde's face to make sure that she wasn't taking things too fast, Brooke met Peyton's eyes and moved back up her body to give her a bruising kiss. Feeling Brooke's weight on top of her, and her tongue, and her teeth…Peyton could barely stop herself from ripping off the other girl's clothes.

Instead, she took Brooke's hands and led them to her breasts, smiling as Brooke's gave her another kiss while simultaneously beginning to gently massage Peyton's breast.

Not a single article of clothing had yet been shed, and already Brooke knew that she was more aroused than she had ever been before. If this was what Peyton did to her now, she could barely dare to imagine what it would be like to actually _be_ with her, skin to skin. The thought alone made her shiver in anticipation, and she ran her fingers teasingly down Peyton's sides.

Grabbing Brooke's hands, Peyton effectively stilled her movements. Brooke looked at Peyton with concern, afraid she had gone too far too fast. "Do you want me to stop?" she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Peyton forced her eyes open at the sound and squeezed Brooke's hands tightly. "No, god no, Brooke, that's the last thing I want right now. You have no idea what you're doing to me right now…"

Brooke raised a questioning eyebrow and asked, "Then why??"

Peyton sighed. "Mia. Much as I don't want to ever stop, she's right next door, and I don't even want to think about what would happen if she accidentally walked in."

Brooke grinned down at the blonde beneath her, amused that that was why Peyton had stopped her. "Well, you know, a threesome might be fun…" she stopped talking as Peyton aggressively flipped their positions and kissed Brooke hard.

"Nope. You're mine, and as of now I'm the only one who's allowed to touch you like this," so saying she dragged her fingertips across Brooke's breasts, loving the way the girl arched her back in response. "And I'm also the only one who's allowed to kiss you like this," she continued, placing a searing kiss on Brooke's swollen lips, "So you better tell Mia she needs to come up with a different plan if she wants to take my girl."

Brooke couldn't help but smile as Peyton called her _my girl_, and she pulled Peyton back down for another long kiss. "No worries, Pey, cause she's got nothing on you," Brooke gasped out when they finally pulled apart.

Peyton rolled off of her enough so that she could pull Brooke into her arms and close to her body. "One of these days, when Mia's not in the room next to us, remind me to finish that little encounter, ok?" Peyton said.

Brooke smiled turning over in Peyton's arms so that she was facing her. "How about one of these nights?" she asked with a wink before giving Peyton a soft kiss and snuggling into her chest.

"Sounds perfect," Peyton murmured, feeling her eyes drifting shut as Brooke's warmth and the soft bed began to get to her.

In the next room over, Mia grabbed her guitar, intending to head over to the studio and see if she could find Haley. As she was about to open the door, however, she happened to glance out the large front windows and she saw a man just standing across the street, staring at the house.

He was too far for Mia to see much, but even from the distance she could see the grin on his features. Dark hair fell around his shoulders in a tangled mess, and he was clearly a heavyset man.

Concerned, and remembering the reason Brooke had been having nightmares in the first place, Mia turned back to go let Peyton know. When she opened the door to the bedroom, though, she saw the two girls curled up around each other sleeping peacefully.

Knowing that Peyton hadn't been getting a whole lot of sleep lately, she decided to just let them sleep and talk to Peyton later when she got back from the studio. As she went back out the door, she looked over and her worry abated the tiniest bit. _I sure hope I'm just being paranoid about this whole thing, but I'd better ask Peyton later._

Unbeknownst to Mia, the man stood behind a moving truck parked down the street, watching her leave. 

_Well she's new… but from the looks of her nothing I can't handle. After all, she's not the one I'm after, _he thought, looking back to the house where he knew his daughter was sleeping...

Reviews are great, i apologize again for taking so long! Life's been hectic, and oh, btw, if paulinemcc is reading this, im kinda dying over here without any updates on Follow me, I'll follow you! Lol two months with no breyton *pouts*

Anyways, hope you liked it!

-cello


	8. Chapter 8

_Ok, strange man that sounds a lot like Brooke's dad. Not good._ Sighing, Peyton asked Mia, "Are you absolutely sure he wasn't...I don't know, UPS delivery or something?"

When Mia raised an eyebrow, Peyton exhaled forcefully and sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry, I just really really don't want to have to tell Brooke..." "Tell me what?" Turning quickly and seeing the brunette standing at the end of the hallway, Peyton took a deep breath and patted the space next to her on the couch. Mia stood to leave, and shrugged apologetically when Brooke shot her a questioning look. Sitting down, Brooke shifted so she was on her back looking up at Peyton.

_Great. I wake up and Peyton's gone, and now everyone's looking all serious and sorta sad. _

"So, what's got my P. Sawyer looking like someone went and kicked her puppy? It must be pretty bad to make _you_ look like this."

_J__ust tell her._ "Brooke, honey, we think Mia saw your dad hanging around outside the house earlier." The brunette's eyes closed briefly, and when she opened them she said quietly, "Wow. That is bad." Sitting up and studying the blonde, Brooke sighed and said, "You have to leave, Peyton." The other girl shook her head vehemently, having expected that answer. "I'm not going anywhere, Brooke."

Placing a finger on the younger girl's lips as she started to protest, she continued. "I meant what I said when we were talking about this before, and there's no way in hell you're going to get me anywhere besides next to you, especially now that I know he's out there."

"I meant what I said too, before. I can't lose you, Peyt, not now that I finally have a chance for what I've always wanted with you. Especially now that I know he's out there," Brooke said, a touch of defiance and challenge in her voice at the end. Peyton watched the brunette while she was talking, and frowned at the way the other girl was wrapping her arms around herself, as though to isolate everything and everyone.

Gently reaching over and replacing Brooke's arms with her own, Peyton drew her close and whispered, "I'm not going to let him hurt you again, Brooke. A promise is a promise, and I _will_ be there between you and him." A single tear made its way down Brooke's face, and Peyton tenderly wiped it away with her thumb. "Just promise me something, Pey," the brunette whispered, and was instantly answered with, "Anything."

"Promise me, that when all of this is over and done, that you'll still be here with me, that you'll be there holding me like this." Peyton nodded. "I'll always be here, Brooke." Reaching and pulling Brooke with her so that they were lying flush against each other on the couch, Peyton wrapped her arms around the brunette's middle and let herself relax. After a few minutes, Peyton started to pull away from Brooke's body just the tiniest bit to reposition herself. Thinking Peyton was getting up to leave, Brooke pulled her back quickly. "Don't leave," she whispered. Startled, Peyton let herself be pulled back to Brooke's body. "I'm not going anywhere," she said, "We can lay here as long as you want. You're not going to get any complaints from me!" Brooke smiled a little and twined her fingers with the blonde's, squeezing tightly and moving closer to her body.

Using her free hand, Peyton tucked a strand of brunette hair behind Brooke's ear and leaned down to kiss her. Brooke sighed contentedly into the kiss, completely happy with the current situation. Resting her head on Peyton's shoulder, Brooke said, "I think I might take a walk later, just to think things through, you know?" Peyton nodded, "Yeah..."

"I think it'll be ok. I'm not going to go far, and I'll have my phone the whole time." Absently stroking Brooke's arm, Peyton nodded again, but couldn't stop the swell of worry that was rising in her. She didn't want to force Brooke to put her life on hold, but if the brunette's father wanted to hurt her, a walk by herself would be the perfect time. Deciding not to say anything, the blonde settled for a small sigh as she became painfully aware of how Brooke was running her fingers over her stomach. Her sigh caught in her throat, and Brooke grinned at the pure desire she saw on the other girl's face.

Deciding that it was a perfect time to get off of the couch and go for a walk, the brunette was caught off guard by Peyton suddenly grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to kiss her hungrily. Breathing hard, Peyton managed to pull herself away from the kiss and was rewarded by the sight of an extremely flushed brunette standing in front of her. Standing to leave the room, Peyton couldn't help but smirk at the pout now adorning Brooke's face. The yelped question of, "That's it?!" was met with Peyton's casually thrown reply of, "Yep." Gaping after the blonde, Brooke could only shake her head before following her steps towards the front door.

She was met at the door by the sight of Peyton putting on her coat, and she asked, "Just where do you think you're going?" Smiling a little at the sudden panic in the brunette's voice, Peyton replied, "With you, of course." When the other girl opened her mouth to protest, Peyton said, "You didn't honestly expect me to let you go out by yourself did you? Especially a few hours after Mia saw your dad hanging around outside!"

Closing her mouth, Brooke sighed dejectedly. In truth, she had expected Peyton to not let her go at all, and even if she wouldn't admit it she was the tiniest bit glad that she wouldn't be alone. The fear that something would happen to Peyton outweighed all other thoughts in her mind, but she opted against arguing and settled for a pointed glare directed at the other girl. Ignoring the look she was receiving, Peyton opened the door, and swept her arm through in an exaggerated motion. "After you," she said, laughing as the glare fell off of Brooke's face.

Walking out into the evening air, Brooke linked their arms as they walked down the drive. Both girls were scanning fo any sign of trouble, but upon seeing none, they relaxed a bit and tried to just enjoy the feeling of being out of the house. They reached the Rivercourt fairly quickly, and Brooke tugged Peyton in the direction of the swings. Sitting down on them, she laughed and said, "Remember when we used to come here when we were really little and just play? When life was as simple as who could get higher on the swing, or who could do the monkey bars the fastest?"

"Yeah," Peyton said, looking at Brooke. As she watched the younger girl sitting on the swing, cheeks flushed from the brisk air, she thought that she had never seen anything more beautiful. About to tell Brooke what she was thinking, Peyton was startled from her reverie by her phone ringing. Brooke looked over and said, "Go ahead, Peyton, I'll just hang out here." Sighing, Peyton flipped her phone open and instantly wished she could have just let it ring as she heard Lucas's voice. "Hey, can we talk?"

Walking away from Brooke so that she wouldn't have to hear the conversation, Peyton snapped, "No. Did I not make myself clear when I said I never want to see or hear from you again?" Glancing back at Brooke, Peyton smiled when she saw her swinging her feet and zig zagging on the swing. Turning away as Lucas started to speak again, Peyton tried to resist the urge to hang up then and there, though only so she wouldn't have to explain to Brooke.

"I wanted to apologize, Peyton," Lucas started, and was cut off by an abrupt laugh from Peyton. "You want to _apologize?_ Luke, apologizing is something you do when you miss somebody's birthday, or when you step on their toes. You don't get to _apologize_ when you try to beat someone amazing down just for cruelty's sake. You don't get to apologize for hurting someone that bad, Luke." She could hear the frustrated breath that he blew out through the phone, and he tried again. "Well fine then, Peyton. What _do _I get to do?"

"You get to hang up the phone, delete my number and Brooke's, and forget about any idea you might still have stuck in your head that I'm ever going to forgive you for this." Turning back to check on Brooke, Peyton felt panic flare when she saw that the swing was empty. Lucas was trying to say something else, but she ignored him and said, "I have to go. Don't call again, Lucas." Jogging towards the swings, Peyton looked around for any sign of Brooke and came up with nothing. "Brooke?" The edge of panic was beginning to give way to full-fledged hysteria as she looked around frantically.

A muffled yelp came from Peyton's left, and she ran towards the sound and into a brushy area. Stopping to see if she could hear anything else, the blonde heard another, fainter sound from straight ahead. Sprinting now, she stopped dead in her tracks as she came upon Brooke, hands bound and gagged, in a small clearing.

The brunette looked like she was unconscious, and Peyton tried frantically to wake her. "Brooke, come on, please, you have to wake up. He's going to be back any second."

When she didn't get any response, Peyton looked the other girl over, eyes widening as she saw the large gash in Brooke's leg. It wasn't enough for him to tie you up and gag you...he wanted to make certain you couldn't go anywhere.

Trying to lift the smaller girl, Peyton staggered under the weight before catching herself. Starting back the way she came, she tried to go faster as she heard sounds coming from behind her. Angry yells sounded behind her, and Peyton tried to speed up even more.

Bushes crashed all around as someone started searching for them. Not sure which direction was out of the brush, Peyton stopped and waited to catch her breath, listening for any sounds. There was still crashing, but it sounded a little farther away, and Peyton started forward again.

Gasping with relief when she saw the end of the bushes and the park only a few feet away, the blonde ran the last few yards to her car and laid Brooke down in the back seat before getting in the driver's side, locking the doors, and dialing 911. As she tried to calm her pounding heart and listened to the phone ring, Peyton saw a man come out from the bushes.

He was looking straight at Peyton, and she shivered at his lopsided grin and the knife she could see glinting in the moonlight in his right hand. He started for the car, and Peyton turned the engine, fear jolting her as the engine didn't start. Phone forgotten, she tried again, and again, but with no luck as he drew closer and closer to the car.

Finally he was standing right outside the car, and he tapped on the window, looking inside and waving at Peyton, showing her the wires in his hand. Looking desperately around the car for anything that could be used as a weapon, Peyton's eyes settled on a tire iron that was lying half-hidden under the back seat.

Grabbing it, she jumped as a hand clamped around her wrist.

"Peyton....what are you doing?"

Looking at the brunette, Peyton said, "I'm saving you, Brooke. I'm saving us." About to say something else, Brooke opened her mouth but then screamed as a rock shattered the driver's side window. Peyton moved as far away as possible, gripping the iron in her hand. A hand came through the window and groped at the locks, and Peyton brought the tire iron down on it. A high pitched scream came from outside the car, followed quickly by, "You're going to wish you hadn't done that, bitch."

There was a momentary silence, and Peyton hoped beyond hope that he might have left or just disappeared altogether, but the quiet was broken as a small boulder hit the rear window, shattering it. Brooke's father started crawling through seconds later, but when Peyton tried to reach over Brooke and hit him, he lashed out with the knife and sliced her hand. Almost dropping the iron, Peyton barely kept her grip on it long enough to pull it back and take it with her other hand.

Fumbling with the door locks, she tumbled out and dragged Brooke out after her. The brunette tried to stand and almost toppled, staying upright only with Peyton's help. The second Brooke's father stood up outside the car, he lunged at Peyton with the knife held outstretched in his hand. Dodging the knife, Peyton was forced to let go of Brooke.

Managing by some miracle to stay standing, Brooke turned and looked at her father. "Please, daddy, don't do this. She hasn't done anything to you, I didn't tell her anything, I swear-"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off as her father backhanded her across the face, sending her flying several feet away. Lying in a heap, she didn't move as Peyton screamed, "Brooke!" Brooke's father advanced towards Peyton, and she drew back slightly.

"Come on, now, don't be that way. All I want is that piece of metal you have in your hand to be somewhere else." As he spoke, he jerked the knife in Peyton's direction, and acting purely on instinct she struck at it with the iron to try and defend herself. The knife flew out of his hand and into the bushes.

Hatred burned in his eyes as he glared at Peyton before lunging forward and ripping the tire iron from her grasp. Throwing it over his shoulder in Brooke's direction, he smirked at Peyton. "Not so tough now, huh?" Advancing, he struck Peyton across the side of her face and she fell to her knees.

Behind them, Brooke stirred, groaning. Looking up and blinking to try and clear the fog from her mind, she saw her father standing in front of Peyton. As she watched, he punched Peyton in the face. When the blonde fell back, he grabbed her arms and lifted her back to her feet before hitting her back down again. Looking around, Brooke saw the tire iron lying near her leg.

Pulling herself upright, she grasped it and pushed herself into a standing position. Forcing herself to ignore the pain, she limped in her father's direction. Coming up right behind him, she saw him raise his fist to strike Peyton again, and she swung the tire iron as hard as she could. It connected solidly with his head and he stumbled back.

Looking around before his eyes settled on Brooke, he said, "You? You have to be kidding me." Taking unsteady steps in the brunette's direction, he knocked the iron out of her hand with no problem and swung his fist into her injured leg with a malicious grin.

Crying out in pain as she hit the ground, Brooke looked up at him and waited for the inevitable. In her peripheral vision she could see Peyton stumbling away towards the bushes, and she prayed that the blonde would get away.

Closing her eyes as her father raised his fist, she waited for the blow but it never came. Opening her eyes she saw Peyton standing in front of her, the knife in her hand buried to its hilt in her father's side. He slowly fell backwards, a look of shock on his face, and this time didn't get up.

Peyton fell to her knees in front of Brooke. "Are you ok, Brooke?" The brunette could only shake her head as she pulled the blonde into her arms, bursting into tears. Sirens wailed in the distance, and Brooke's lifted her head. "Peyton?"

Peyton shook her head ij confusion but then stopped. "Oh god. I called 911 when we were in the car before he broke in. They must have tracked my cell call here." An ambulance and police squad cars pulled up even as Peyton was trying to explain to Brooke and men leaped out.

Instantly both girls were surrounded by a team of paramedics. They lifted Brooke and Peyton onto separate stretchers, but when they tried to put them into separate ambulances, Brooke refused. Looking at the two girls and then at the man lying on the ground no more than twenty feet away, the paramedics shrugged and loaded them into the same ambulance.

The trip to the hospital was a blur, and when they got there nobody made any effort to separate the two girls. Treatment was more extensive for Brooke because of her leg, but when all was sais and done the nurses wheeled the two girls into the same room.

Two beds were side by side, and the nurses helped each girl into one before turning off the lights for the night and leaving. The second the nurses were gone, Peyton heard Brooke moving around in the dark and sat up. "No way, Brooke. I'll come to you."

A tired voice came from a few feet away. "I'm already up, I might as well come the rest of the way." Shaking her head even though she knew the other girl couldn't see her, Peyton said, "Damn it Brooke, you're the one who got stabbed in the leg, not me. I don't need you hurting yourself even more when I can come to you just as easily!"

Sighing, Brooke said, "Ok." A few moments later, she felt Peyton climbing into the bed with her, and she scooted over to make more room. Peyton shifted as close as possible to Brooke and laid her head on the brunette's chest. Brooke looked down in concern as she felt the other girl shaking.

Gently running a hand through mussed blonde curls, she whispered quietly to Peyton until the shaking subsided.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you, Brooke."

Stilling her movements, Brooke said, "Me too. When I saw him standing over you, I thought..."

Pulling Brooke close, Peyton said, "I'm still here. We're still here, thanks to you."

"And you," Brooke said.

Feeling the blonde yawn, Brooke whispered, "Get some sleep, Pey. All of this will still be here tomorrow."

Snuggling close to the brunette, Peyton said softly, "I love you, Brooke." Smiling into Peyton's hair, Brooke said, "I love you too." Kissing the top of the other girl's head, she let her eyes drift shut as the nothingness of sleep came over her.

A/N: So I'm sorry for the long wait! I just couldn't figure out what to do with this fic, and then I got bored, and then I wrote a bunch of oneshots(which you should read if you haven't, lots of breyton!) and finally just sat down and figured I'd throw something together.

Sorry for the slightly haphazard construction of this chapter, I went back and fixed some of it, but I still don't think it's quite there. If you read this, scrawn, thanks for the review, it helped me think about some of what was missing. And anyone who liked the previous version...sorry! ;)

So now the question is....should I continue this? Another chapter or two, maybe just an epilogue?

Reviews are love, feel free to let me know your thoughts on whether to continue or not.


	9. Chapter 9

Mia stood in the doorway, bags in hand. "Come on, guys, you're going to make me late," she yelled in the door, looking at her watch and groaning. She heard footsteps running down the stairs and looked inside just in time to see Peyton trying to straighten her shirt while simultaneously pulling on her shoes. Brooke came barreling down the stairs a second later, almost knocking Peyton over.

The blonde caught her, barely, but ended up pressed between Brooke and the wall. The brunette faked a swoon and grinned. "My savior!"

Peyton shoved her playfully away as she hopped towards the door, still trying to tug on her shoe. Brooke caught her by the arm as she was almost out the door, stopping her and pulling her back inside the doorway. Coughing lightly, she tried to straighten her shirt a bit more before giving up and coughing, "Concealer." Mia dropped her bags and threw her hands in the air. "I don't believe it. _This_ is why we're going to be half an hour late?"

Brooke and Peyton both looked sheepishly at the ground, and Mia finally gave up trying to keep a straight face. "Oh well, at least I'll have a good excuse for the roadies. I'm sure they'll appreciate the mental slideshow." Smirking as Brooke gasped, "You wouldn't," she replied, "Oh, I would. Though I have to admit, the pictures might not be entirely mental." Peyton blushed as she raised a hand to try and cover the spot where Brooke had marked her.

Picking up her bags, Mia headed for the car, smiling as she heard Peyton hiss, "What the hell were you thinking?" at Brooke, with the brunette just laughing at the blonde's mortification.

* * *

After a short ride over to the studio, where the tour bus was waiting, Mia tossed her bags inside before turning back to Brooke and Peyton. They had settled themselves on a bench a few feet away, and she couldn't help but smile at how peaceful they looked. After the nightmare with Brooke's dad, it had taken a few months for everything to get back to normal. Both girls had healed with nothing but a few scars to show for it, but Mia had spent many a night listening to one or both wake up screaming, only to be comforted by the other.

Their relationship, a bit tentative at first, had quickly solidified into passion and unquestioned love. Mia had taken to sanitizing all surfaces in the house before using them for anything after coming home from the studio early one day to find Brooke seated on the kitchen counter, Peyton busy at work between her legs. Smiling at the memory and the ensuing dramatic proclamations of being scarred for life, Mia walked over to them.

Peyton stood first, not waiting for Mia to walk all the way over before launching herself at the girl. Squeezing Peyton back just as tightly, Mia said, "Thank you so much for everything, Peyton. If it wasn't for you, I would never have had the chance to record an album, or tour, or really have any chance of living my dream."

"You're welcome," Peyton said, tucking a strand of hair behind Mia's ear. "I'm just glad I was able to be a part of all this with you!" Hugging Peyton tightly one last time, Mia pulled away and looked at Brooke.

The brunette stood slowly, and Mia walked to her, pausing for a second to search her face before enveloping her in a bear hug. Brooke held her tightly, pulling back with concern as she felt Mia start to cry. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked softly, wiping the younger girl's tears with her thumbs, "This is good, you're going to be able to go and share your music with so many people!"

Mia nodded, drawing in a shaky breath before saying, "But none of this would ever have happened without you, Brooke. I would still be with Jason if it wasn't for you...I don't think you really know how much everything you've done means to me." Pulling Mia back to her, Brooke murmured, "You've helped me too, you know. Helping me and Peyton like you have, it means a lot. And I don't need thanks for helping to get you away from Jason, I had a good time doing it."

Mia smiled slightly through her tears, smacking Brooke lightly on the arm, saying, "Your girlfriend is right there, you know, and I would rather live to make it onto the bus." Sighing as she looked at the younger girl, Brooke hugged her once more before kissing the side of her head and pushing her away. "Ok, Mia, I think you better go now before I change my mind and decide I'm going to keep you here with me."

"Ok," Mia said softly, before perking up and smiling at both girls. "Well, don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, ok? I want to be able to sit on the couch when I get back without being terrified about what might have happened on it." When Brooke and Peyton just looked at each other, then down at the ground, Mia paused. "Wait. Should I _already _be worried? You know what, I don't want to know. I think you two will just need to get new furniture when I come back, ok?"

Brooke smiled. "That we can do. Be safe, ok? You can call us if you need anything, and even if you don't I expect regular updates! This is not an excuse to ditch us!" Mia nodded before turning as a guy on the tour bus yelled at her to get moving. "Well, guess this is it. I love you guys, I'll see you when I get back!" she said, running over to the bus and climbing in.

Brooke leaned back against Peyton as the bus started up and started pulling slowly away. Mia's head popped out the window, and she waved wildly as the bus pulled away and picked up speed. When it turned the corner, Brooke sighed. "She'll be fine," Peyton soothed, hugging Brooke gently. Turning around in the blonde's arms and kissing her, Brooke smiled sadly. "I know. I'm going to miss her though." Kissing Brooke again, Peyton said, "Me too. But you know..." She trailed off and Brooke looked at her expectantly. "I don't believe I do. Enlighten me."

Peyton grinned wickedly. "Mia said we can just get new furniture when she comes back, so you know what that means?" Brooke grinned back. "We better get to work so we can justify the new purchase?" Grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the car, Peyton said, "Exactly. And I think now is an excellent time to start."

Pushing Peyton against the car, Brooke kissed her before saying, "I love you, P. Sawyer." "Love you more," Peyton said, before squealing as Brooke opened the door and they both toppled inside. Lying beneath the brunette, Peyton looked up and raised a questioning eyebrow. "So Peyton," Brooke began, a sly look on her face, "I think the car counts as furniture, don't you?"

Catching on, Peyton nodded in mock seriousness. "Oh of course! Everyone knows that!" Leaning closer to the blonde, Brooke whispered huskily, "And you said you wanted to start now?" Peyton nodded fervently, unable to come up with words to describe just how much she wanted to. Smirking at the blonde's enthusiasm, Brooke said, "Well, guess we better get to work, then," before closing the remaining distance between her lips and Peyton's.

* * *

Alrighty. The end. I know some people wanted a continuation, or epilogue, or _something_, and this was the best I could do. I despise endings to begin with (ever so awkward), and there was really nothing else to say, but I figured I could give them a conclusive, final happy endingish kinda deal. Sorry if it's not what you wanted, but I tried! Please review, I would love to hear any suggestions you may have and critiques!


End file.
